Switzerland – New Year’s Resolutions: Trust Science, Learn …
(MENAFN- Swissinfo)
The new year began where the old ended; with rampant viruses and meteorites threatening to destroy planet earth. The virus is of course SARS-CoV-2, which is attacking more and more people in my circle of acquaintances. But it’s not the only one around.
There is also a virus that causes violent and lightning-fast intestinal flu, forcing its hosts to commute between bed and bath. My companion was affected by it between New Years Eve and New Years Eve, precisely the moment that, for some, dictates the fate of everyone for the year …
Meteorites that are heading for our planet, on the other hand, only exist on the screen for the time being. During the Christmas break, I saw ‘Don’t Look Up’, the most talked about movie right now. The plot is simple: two not-so-well-known astronomers realize that a giant meteorite is about to crash into the earth, but are not taken seriously by the media and a US president who is strongly reminiscent of Donald Trump.
What happens next? I don’t want to spoil the movie, which is already one of the most popular on Netflix in Switzerland, but for morals and optimism it might have been better to go for Christmas classics like ‘Trading Places’ or ‘Home Alone’.
How did your new year start Are more people around you getting Sars-Cov-2? Share your experiences with meExternal Link!
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Coronavirus: the latest numbers
This content was published on January 6th, 2022 January 6th, 2022 Here you will find an overview of the most important Swiss coronavirus data and graphics, which are automatically updated.
Why is the anti-Vax mood so widespread in Switzerland?
Adam McKay’s satirical film “Don’t Look Up” certainly stimulates profound reflections on our society today, which is really characterized by skepticism and distrust of science. This phenomenon is more pronounced in the United States and in certain parts of Europe, especially in German-speaking countries.
How can this be explained? Anti-Vax sentiment seems to be closely linked to anti-establishment and populist politics – which are often rooted in a decentralized power structure – in countries like Switzerland, Austria and Germany. In particular, Switzerland, despite its wealth, has one of the lowest vaccination rates in Western Europe. External link
According to Suzanne Suggs, Professor of Communication at the University of Lugano, this trend is also due to the lack of emotion in communication between the authorities in these countries and the population. This has made it easier for conspiracy theories to fill the existing “emotional” vacuum.
Some experts claim that the main reason for skepticism towards vaccines in German-speaking countries is, on closer inspection, the population’s cultural inclination towards homeopathy and natural remedies. The Swiss historian Eva Locher told SWI swissinfo.chExterner Link in an interview that this culture goes back to movements like the life reform, which flourished in Germany and Switzerland at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.
In addition to the preaching of a natural way of life and a vegetarian or vegan diet, the life reform places alternative medicine and anthroposophical life models according to Rudolf Steiner’s philosophy against traditional science.
In the Alps in particular, the German-speaking population trusts fresh air, organic products and herbal teas more than traditional medicines, doctor Patrick Franzoni recently told the New York TimesExterner Link. Franzoni is the deputy head of the Covid-Unit in Bolzano, an Italian province with a German-speaking majority and the lowest vaccination rate in the country.
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Swiss CO2 emissions: small country, large footprint
The much-vaunted Swiss quality of life has a downside – namely consumption and convenience, which drive up the national CO2 footprint.
What do you think of the skepticism about vaccines and science? Why do you think it is on the rise in Switzerland? Do you also believe more in nature and self-healing than in science? Let me know external link what you think!
Less skepticism and more research on Covid-19 in 2022
However, the skeptical fringe group in Switzerland was dealt a blow in November when the Swiss electorate overwhelmingly supported an amendment to the Covid-19 law, which forms the legal basis for the “Covid Certificate”.
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Voters are again in favor of the Swiss government’s pandemic policy
This content was published on 11/28/2021 11/28/2021 A clear majority has supported the government’s coronavirus policy after voting on the issue for the second time this year.
Data on the Omicron variant and excess mortality over the past two years (see graphs below) could make even ardent skeptics rethink: They show that vaccines work because they protect against serious illness and death.
To understand the effectiveness of vaccines, we must not focus on the number of infections. Vaccination does not mean that you will not get sick, but that you are protected from a serious illness.
swissinfo.ch
The economist
Meanwhile, scientific research is advancing: Four Swiss-based companies are receiving government funding to develop a range of new drugs against the coronavirusExterner Link, which are expected to be available by the end of 2022. They are supposed to treat certain symptoms caused by Covid -19 – such as the neuropsychiatric symptoms in people with a long CovidExterner Link – and to alleviate their duration and severity.
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What have we learned about Covid for a long time?
This content was published on 08/23/2021 08/23/2021 Research on long Covid is still in its infancy in Switzerland with many unanswered questions.
Those who suffer from belenophobia (fear of needles), on the other hand, will be happy that Unisanté will be testing a Covid-19 vaccine in the form of a patch on 26 volunteers in Lausanne this month.
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Coronavirus: The situation in Switzerland
This content was published on January 7, 2022 January 7, 2022 New Covid-19 cases in Switzerland have soared to record highs as the Omicron variant is fueling the spread.
What nature can teach us in 2022
Trust in science does not mean that nature has nothing to teach us – on the contrary: it can help us better understand who we are. Just remember that in nature, for example, same-sex behavior has been observed in around 1,500 species, writes my colleague Luigi Jorio: external link, if not thousands of different sexes ”.
This is the case with Schizophyllum commune, a fungus of 23,328 different sexes known as mating types. Luigi interviews Christian Kropf, biologist and curator of the exhibition ‘Queer – Diversity is in our nature’Externer Link, which is currently on display at the Natural History Museum in Bern.
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Exhibition shows how it is natural to be queer
This content was published on 12/10/2021 12/10/2021 Homosexuality and gender reassignment are widespread in nature and can contribute to social cohesion.
If you haven’t seen the exhibition yet, I recommend you do so. Alone, with your children or with grandparents, friends and relatives. Realizing that nature is a great spectacle of diversity is the first step in respecting and loving ourselves and others.
How can you start the new year better?
Do you have any comments, remarks, or questions about the latest science news? Let’s talk about itExternal link over a (virtual) coffee.
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