Swiss Medical Weekly (Mar 2020)

COVID-19 epidemic in Switzerland: on the importance of testing, contact tracing and isolation

  • Marcel Salathé,
  • Christian L. Althaus,
  • Richard Neher,
  • Silvia Stringhini,
  • Emma Hodcroft,
  • Jacques Fellay,
  • Marcel Zwahlen,
  • Gabriela Senti,
  • Manuel Battegay,
  • Annelies Wilder-Smith,
  • Isabella Eckerle,
  • Matthias Egger,
  • Nicola Low

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4414/smw.2020.20225
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 150, no. 1112

Abstract

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Switzerland is among the countries with the highest number of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) cases per capita in the world. There are likely many people with undetected SARS-CoV-2 infection because testing efforts are currently not detecting all infected people, including some with clinical disease compatible with COVID-19. Testing on its own will not stop the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Testing is part of a strategy. The World Health Organization recommends a combination of measures: rapid diagnosis and immediate isolation of cases, rigorous tracking and precautionary self-isolation of close contacts. In this article, we explain why the testing strategy in Switzerland should be strengthened urgently, as a core component of a combination approach to control COVID-19.

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