Record 19,000 COVID-19 Cases Detected in Switzerland Per Day

GENEVA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st December, 2021) A record 19,000 COVID-19 cases were registered in Switzerland on Thursday amid the fifth wave of the COVID-19 and the rapid spread of the Omicron coronavirus strain in the country, the Federal Office of Public Health said.

According to the Swiss authorities, 19,032 cases of COVID-19 were registered in the country in the last 24 hours, 129 people were hospitalized and 23 died. The hospital occupancy rate is 75.9%, which is lower than a week earlier.

Some observers believe that the current increase in the number of registered COVID-19 cases in the country may be related to the holiday season, as well as to a new requirement imposed by the authorities in December to present not only a vaccination passport but also a negative PCR test to visit bars, nightclubs and discos.

Thus, the increase in the number of PCR tests may have led to the increase in the number of identified COVID-19 cases.

The total number of COVID-19 infections in Switzerland for the entire period of the pandemic is estimated at 1.3 million with 12,281 deaths.