'Fatality Rate in the 1% Range' Switzerland, a COVID-19 Infection Lookalike to Korea?

Numbers Are Similar... But Limited Testing Subjects
Germany Conducted Broad Testing from Early Outbreak

On the 23rd (local time), a preventive mask against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was placed on the statue of Freddie Mercury, the legendary rock group Queen's leader, erected in Montreux Square, Switzerland, and a sign recommending staying at home was hung. Source=Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] 'Fatality rate 1.6%, critical patient ratio 1.2%.'

As the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) rapidly spreads across Europe, Switzerland alone is recording fatality and critical patient rates both in the 1% range. Among European countries hit hard by COVID-19, Switzerland is numerically closest to South Korea, which is regarded as a 'model country for quarantine measures.'

According to the Central Disease Control Headquarters on the 27th, South Korea's COVID-19 fatality rate and critical patient ratio were 1.4% and 1.2%, respectively, as of the previous day. The fatality rate is 0.2 percentage points lower than Switzerland's, and the critical patient ratio is the same.

◆Switzerland tests only high-risk critical patients = Although the two countries show similar figures, their infection patterns are unlikely to be alike. South Korea has a broad scope for COVID-19 diagnostic testing, whereas Switzerland limits testing to only severely ill patients. In South Korea, from the early stages of the outbreak, people with suspected symptoms such as fever and respiratory issues or those who had contact with confirmed cases were included in the testing pool. Recently, testing has also been mandated for all arrivals from Europe and symptomatic arrivals from the United States.

In contrast, Switzerland tests only some patients among high-risk groups such as the elderly. The Swiss weekly English newspaper Le News stated, "Switzerland has limited testing capacity," and "the low figures are because testing is restricted to high-risk patients with severe symptoms." It added, "Not all confirmed cases underwent diagnostic testing," explaining that "deaths or releases from isolation due to COVID-19 may not be reflected in the figures."

◆Germany in the '0%' range, actively testing like South Korea = Germany has the lowest fatality rate and critical patient ratio among the top 10 countries with the highest confirmed cases worldwide, at 0.6% and 0.1%, respectively. This contrasts with major European countries such as Italy, Spain, and France, which are experiencing a rapid surge in COVID-19 cases. CNN in the United States reported, "Like other countries, Germany has many middle-aged confirmed cases and deaths concentrated among the elderly," but "the fatality rate is only 0.4%."

This is interpreted as Germany conducting broad diagnostic testing similar to South Korea. CNN explained, "Germany has been actively conducting diagnostic tests from the early stages of the outbreak, like South Korea," and "they are identifying asymptomatic carriers who appear healthy on the surface."

Germany's equivalent of the Centers for Disease Control, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), has not yet compiled exact testing numbers, but Christian Drosten, a virus authority at Berlin's Charit? Hospital, said, "Testing has expanded to about 500,000 cases per week."

A man wearing a mask to prevent the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is walking around the quiet Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy, on the 16th (local time). Source=Yonhap News

◆Italy with '10% fatality rate,' tests only critical patients = Italy, which has the highest number of cases in Europe, shows figures contrasting with South Korea but shares similarities in quarantine response. Italy's fatality rate is currently 10.2%, the highest among the top 10 countries with the most confirmed cases worldwide?about 10 times that of South Korea.

However, Italy is similar to South Korea in prioritizing testing in large-scale cluster infection areas. Milan, the central city of Lombardy Province in northern Italy, is the most severely affected area. According to Al Jazeera, Massimo Galli, head of the infectious disease department at Milan's Sacco Hospital, explained, "The government is conducting testing focused on regions where large-scale cluster infections have occurred."

However, the testing scope is limited, similar to Switzerland. Department head Galli said, "Testing is conducted only on patients showing severe symptoms, so the current figures do not accurately reflect the actual infection patterns," and "the high fatality rate is because testing is limited to critical patients."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.