The Federal Council has decided that from 1 October the cost of tests to obtain a COVID certificate will no longer be covered by the Confederation.
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"Hospital admissions of patients with the coronavirus have been rising sharply for several weeks now. The main reason for the increase is likely due to the low vaccination rate: in Switzerland, 56 per cent of the population have received at least one dose of the vaccine compared to 63 per cent in the European Union," the Swiss Federal Council says.
"The number of people with no immunity who risk becoming infected is still high. There are also other possible reasons for the increase: the transmissibility of the delta variant, people returning from holidays, the gradual lifting of measures such as the requirement to work from home and the ban on face-to-face teaching at universities, as well as a shift in the behaviour of the public.
"It is difficult to predict at present whether the sharp rise in hospital admissions is likely to continue over the next few weeks with the start of the new school year, students returning to university for the autumn semester and cooler temperatures, or whether the situation will stabilise.
"It generally takes two to three weeks for stricter measures to have an effect on hospital admissions. The Federal Council cannot therefore wait until hospitals are overstretched before tightening measures.
If hospitals become overstretched, the number of deaths among COVID-19 sufferers would increase and non-urgent medical procedures would have to be postponed. Healthcare provision for all would suffer as a result.
"The cost of tests for people with symptoms will continue to be covered by the Confederation. However, these do not entitle the holder to a COVID certificate. Rapid antigen tests for people who cannot be vaccinated for health reasons as well as tests for children under the age of 16 will continue to be paid for by the Confederation.
"Those visiting a healthcare institution, such as a retirement or nursing home or a hospital can also still be tested free of charge. It is extremely important to protect those at especially high risk. Those testing negative will be provided with an attestation instead of a COVID certificate," the Council added. ■