Health authorities keep in touch with every Corona infected person

From the very first Corona infection in Zug, the health authorities have been contacting all persons who have had close contact with the infected persons. The government councillors will address the population by video during the next two weeks.

From the time of the confirmation of the first case in the canton of Zug on 3 March, the so-called "Contact Tracing" has been a fundamental part of the control measures. According to the corresponding communication from the Health Directorate, the canton of Zug can count on the cooperation of the Lungenliga Zentralschweiz (Lung League of Central Switzerland), which is doing an excellent job, even in these challenging times.

The aim of "Contact Tracing" is to quickly identify all persons who have had close contact with infected persons. These contact persons are urged to immediately isolate themselves in their homes and not to make physical contact with any persons outside their household. In this way, the possible spread of the coronavirus can be prevented by interrupting the chain of infection. "The contacted persons have shown great understanding, and usually adhere to the requirements regarding self-isolation in an exemplary manner," explains Cantonal Physician Rudolf Hauri in the communication.

To date, a total of around 1,600 people have been contacted for this purpose. People who are in self-isolation are usually contacted daily for ten days, and are questioned and advised about their state of health. These investigations are carried out in the canton of Zug by the Lung League of Central Switzerland, which has entered into a corresponding service agreement. "The current situation is an enormous challenge for us. But we are motivated to make such an important contribution to the health of the entire population," adds Brigitta Arnold of the Lung League Central Switzerland.

Test capacities are still sufficient
The existing test capacities in the canton of Zug are still sufficient for indexed investigations. As in the whole of Switzerland, however, they are not sufficient to carry out comprehensive tests throughout the population. In principle, all GP practices in the canton of Zug can carry out Corona tests. "With selected practices, we were also able to agree that these patients would be take over from other practices for these tests. In this way, we can guarantee that basic care can be maintained," says Health Director Martin Pfister. The tests take place within the framework of regular doctor appointments, whereby the attending physician then decides whether a test is necessary. Healthy individuals, or those with only mild symptoms are not pre-tested, in order to ensure that there are sufficient resources for severe cases and risk groups.

Video messages from the Zug government
Over the next two weeks, members of the Zug Government Council (Regierungsrat) will address the population directly with short video messages. These will set out the measures taken in the respective directorates to overcome this challenging situation. The first message from health director Martin Pfister is already online. All videos will be made available on www.zg.ch/corona.-