First coronavirus death recorded in Switzerland

Person in protective suit — So far mostly young people have contracted the disease in Switzerland but they are likely to pass it on to older people who are more at risk Keystone / Elia Bianchi

The first death in Switzerland from Covid-19 has been confirmed in canton Vaud. A 74-year-old woman died early on Thursday, the federal authorities saidExternal link.

Keystone-SDA/Reuters/ts

The woman, who had suffered from a chronic illness and was thus considered at high risk, was hospitalised in Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), in western Switzerland, on Tuesday.

The woman probably got infected on a trip to Italy, according to the Swiss News Agency Keystone-SDA. Although at a press conference on Thursday, Karim Boubaker, the cantonal doctor for Vaud, did not want to give further details out of respect for the deceased's family and doctor confidentiality.

At risk

On Wednesday the Federal Office of Public Health said that nearly 100 people had tested positive for coronavirus, with 58 confirmed and more pending.

It added that so far it was mostly young people who had contracted the disease in Switzerland, but they were likely to pass it on to older people who are more at risk.

The Swiss government has banned events and gatherings of more than 1,000 people and advised people to keep their distance, avoid shaking hands and refrain from the traditional Swiss triple-kiss greeting.

Globally, there have been more than 95,300 cases and more than 3,200 deaths, according to a Reuters tallyExternal link.