Coronavirus infections top 20,000 in Switzerland

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Switzerland surged to 20,278 as of Saturday morning, an increase of 975 infections compared to the previous day, the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reported on its website.

The Alpine country has seen a total of 540 deaths from COVID-19 outbreak.

Noting constantly growth of confirmed cases by roughly 1,000 per day, Daniel Koch, a top official from FOPH, said Switzerland has definitely not yet reached a peak where easing lockdown measures could be taken into account.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Koch noted the percentage of medical staff infections in Switzerland remains low at 2.6 percent.

He stressed a remarkable higher risk of a fatal case of COVID-19 for older patients and those with underlying health conditions based on the evidence of the country.

Only 6 percent of all fatalities involved people aged under 50, Koch said, while 79 percent of the deaths had concomitant diseases, most of them with high blood pressure.

Besides, Koch warned patients with other diseases against visiting doctors too late due to fear of coronavirus infections.