SUISSE news Winter 2020
Pharmaceutical | Health
February 2020

Coronavirus and Switzerland

(Dr. Etzel Gysling)
As of March 1, 2020
Bear in mind that the information in this interview may be outdated very quickly, given the fluidity of the situation with the coronavirus.

In the context of the current coronavirus outbreak in China, “SUISSE news” has had the opportunity to conduct a timely and exclusive interview with Dr. Etzel Gysling. Dr. Gysling practices medicine in Wil (St. Gallen) and is the editor-in-chief of the medical periodical pharma-kritik (www.infomed.ch), a monthly publication that has been in existence since 1979 and that focuses primarily on publishing unbiased information on drugs and medications to healthcare professionals in Switzerland. Dr. Gysling studied medicine at the University of Zurich and taught as an assistant professor at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec in the 1970s. He is one of the founding members of the International Society of Drug Bulletins (ISDB) (www.isdbweb.org) and has received an honorary doctorate from University of Basle in 1993. He is regularly quoted and interviewed by the Swiss media on drug related matters.

He answered the following questions about public health guidelines in Switzerland specifically for people coming from Canada.


Are there entry restrictions for people coming from Canada?
There are currently no restrictions on entry into Switzerland.
However, Canadians who want to avoid a quarantine when returning home should continue to monitor this situation, especially if they are planning to travel to Switzerland (or other parts of Europe) and what that may be mean for their return to Canada.  

Do the Swiss authorities have different guidelines than the Canadian authorities regarding the coronavirus?
The Swiss authorities generally follow the guidelines set by the WHO (https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public) and therefore follow the same rules as the Canadian authorities.
But Switzerland has a relatively new Epidemics Act (from January 2016) which governs how the situation around communicable diseases is handled by the Federal Council. Under this Act a "particular situation" has been declared in Switzerland on Friday, February 28, 2020. Gatherings of more than 1,000 people are no longer permitted for the time being. This affects events such as the Geneva Auto Show, concerts, sporting events, carnival celebrations, etc.
https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/gesetze-und-bewilligungen/gesetzgebung/gesetzgebung-mensch-gesundheit/epidemiengesetz.html

How well prepared is Switzerland to deal with the coronavirus disease?
As in Canada, the authorities have made preparations to detect possible cases quickly in order to limit further spread. Recommendations have been released for medical professionals, so that all suspected cases are registered as quickly as possible.

Is there a special information centre in Switzerland on this subject?
Yes, there are so-called “infolines” with the following telephone numbers:
For the population: +41 58 463 00 00
For travellers: +41 58 464 44 88
(Available from 8 am to 6 pm Swiss time)

Are there cases of the illness in Switzerland?
To date (March 1, 2020), 25 cases of Covid-19 ("corona virus disease-2019") have been identified in Switzerland. In all suspected cases, nasal and throat swabs are taken and examined in special laboratories. 
Two schools have been affected: 44 children at a kindergarten in Aargau have been asked to keep a quarantine because one of their teachers has been infected. Two classes of a technical school in Biel (BE) are also going into quarantine because one of the students there contracted the virus.

Are there persons who have returned to Switzerland from Wuhan?
Yes, and they have to keep a quarantine for 14 days.
All COVID-19 cases identified in Switzerland have been linked back to travel to Italy.

Is the quarantine self-imposed or are they in a supervised facility, like the Canadians evacuated from China?
Quarantines are handled slightly differently in Switzerland and in Canada. Swiss suspected cases are not quarantined in a dedicated facility, like in some cases in Canada (emergency evacuations from China). In terms of numbers, there have been 7 Swiss returning from Wuhan and approximately a dozen Swiss citizens who were on two cruise ships in Asia. They were flown back to Switzerland via France and were then asked to keep a mandatory quarantine at home for 14 days.

Is there any special advice regarding travel?
Travel to the Chinese province Hubei (with the city of Wuhan) should be avoided. It is probably better to travel to China only if there is an urgent matter.  The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs has released has released some travel guidelines around COVID-19: https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/de/home/vertretungen-und-reisehinweise/fokus/focus5.html [in German]
Many airlines have now temporarily cancelled all their flights to China.

There are generally no travel restrictions to regions where the virus is more widely spread (e.g. South Korea, Italy, Iran) but it is certainly a good idea to avoid those areas for the time being, if only to avoid unnecessary inconveniences upon return.     

Are vaccines being developed?
Yes, but some experts say it could as long as a year before a protective vaccine is available. However, the Chinese authorities are more optimistic and feel that they can have one ready by April.

What are the general precautions one should take?
Wash your hands with soap regularly and cover your mouth if you need to sneeze or cough. Whether the use of mask affords optimal protection is not conclusively established and still debated.
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