Since last week, the canton of Berne has been recording infection figures with the Sars-CoV-2 pathogen according to administrative districts. According to last week's figures, the Obersimmental-Saanenland was the region with the second highest infection rate after the Bernese Jura, with 31 infections.

Anne-Marie Perrot, head of communication and marketing at Spital STS AG, explained that there still is capacity for Covid-19 patients in the hospitals of Zweisimmen and Thun. This means that the number of patients has so far remained below the expectations of Spital STS AG.

There are plausible reasons why the relatively large number of infected people is not reflected in the number of patients in the hospitals. The majority of infected people do not need hospital care, but recover at home after self-isolation. Patients who were tested positive by their PM often do not pass via the hospital unless hospital care is indicated.

At a press conference Patrick Mathys, head of the FOPH's Crisis Management and International Cooperation Section, said that the limited testing activity throughout Switzerland due to the holidays explains the marked decline in both test rates and case numbers over the Easter holidays. However, the positive results remain stable in percentage terms, regardless of the test numbers. He expects a significant increase in positive tests, as testing is again carried out as before. He also announced the expansion of the testing to more people. Up to now, only people with symptoms and increased risk due to pre-existing conditions have been tested.

Based on AvS/Jenny Sterchi