Corona tests are declining
Switzerland should regulate future virus surveillance
After the corona tests began, Switzerland should examine methods for the future surveillance of infectious diseases. This is what the Covid-19 scientific advisory board calls for. The step is necessary due to the continued high burden on the health system.
Published: 16 minutes ago
Since January 1, 2023, the federal government has no longer covered the costs of corona tests. (archive image)
It is important to find out promptly whether new infections and clinical pictures are caused by new properties of the virus or by changes in the immune system, the environment or social behavior. This is what the scientific advisory body, which has been advising the federal government since the dissolution of the Covid-19 Science Task Force, wrote in a report published on Monday.
With the increased immunity in the population, the burden on the healthcare system from Covid infections has decreased significantly, but according to the report other respiratory pathogens (especially RSV, influenza, pneumococci, H. influenzae and group A streptococci) are increasingly infecting people again. Hospitals as well as family doctor and pediatrician practices are therefore still heavily burdened.