Blog

When people breathe, speak or sing, they always emit small quantities of tiny lung lining fluid droplets, small enough to stay airborne for many hours. Should I worry about these aerosols? Not much if you cross others briefly on the street. Yes, if you spend a long...

Worldwide, countries closed their schools because of COVID-19. But in Switzerland, in three weeks from now, schools are supposed to reopen. Can this be done safely? Probably yes, but only with great prudence! It is not enough to hope that the kids will be fine....

Imagine you are driving and hear on the radio: „Attention, in Canton Zurich, there is a wrong-way driver on the highway - to respect the driver’s privacy, we cannot disclose the location“. This would be crazy, right? In public health, location data can be extremely...

Today, many news outlets reported that one of the Bronx zoo tigers was tested positive for COVID-19. The tigress Nadia developed a severe dry cough, reason why she got tested. It turned out that also the other three tigers along with three lions developed the same...

True or false? „Washing hands is useless because people don’t do it right and because they touch their face too often!“ FALSE! But why do we hear the same arguments about wearing hygiene mask (surgical masks) to prevent the spread of the respiratory disease COVID-19?...

Imagine you are a pilot. Suddenly a flock of geese hits your flaps, your engine turns off and your plane goes into a steep dive. Will you just try to flatten the curve? No. You must simultaneously regain control over your trajectory, assess what systems still work,...

Have I lost my mind when I say that mandating everybody to wear hygiene masks could help reduce the spread of COVID-19? No. What I propose is to use hygiene masks as an emission control device. Let me explain the concept for adressing COVID-19 with a simple model.

Those at biggest risk of getting seriously ill from the Corona-virus are asked to stay at home and to go into total social isolation. However, being isolated and alone is a serious burden for their psychological and social well being. We have to find ways to overcome...

COVID-19 is a very dangerous disease. Can we lock up everybody to prevent the spread? Yes, we can – or almost. An effective strategy that allows most of us to return to a mostly normal life should include wearing masks, washing hands and keeping them clean, and an active programme to produce safety materials.

A couple weeks ago, I was at a public toilet with my two young kids. While we were carefully washing our hands, we saw a strange looking guy heading from his toilet cubicle straight to the door as if he was allergic to water and soap. My kids were shocked and...

In Switzerland, authorities say they test only clear cases because they are afraid to run out of testing kits. But is this the best sampling strategy? Shouldn’t we define a strategy that maximises the information we get from the available tests? In epidemiological...

In my last article I highlighted that we need the participation of the population to effectively battle against COVID-19. Information is central to achieve optimal participation, and I am not talking about information how to wash hands. I am an occupational hygienist....

In the past couple days I got asked by many of my contacts, friends and relatives what I think of the Corona-situation. In my view, the battle is not lost but swift and decisive actions are needed that require not only actions from the authorities but also the...