“Time to bring masks back?” Swiss experts warn as Covid makes a comeback

Swiss health experts are quietly urging people to brush the dust off their face masks again yes, nearly three years after the official end of the pandemic. Their call comes as Covid cases are rising again in the UK, and fears are building about viral infections taking off over the winter months.

Their suggestion isn’t a blanket rule, more a reminder: in crowded, enclosed spaces, wearing a mask still helps cut down the spread of airborne viruses. The advice is aimed especially at those who are vulnerable older people, the immunocompromised but the experts say others might choose to wear them too., reported the Mirror.

Back when Covid peaked, the UK government made masks compulsory in places like shops, public transport and NHS settings. Now, Tanja Stadler, an epidemiologist at ETH Zurich and chair of Switzerland’s Covid scientific task force, told SonntagsZeitung:

“In crowded, enclosed spaces, such as public transportation, it’s advisable for vulnerable people — those over 65 or those with compromised immune systems. Even those who aren’t vulnerable can protect themselves from troublesome infections and, at the same time, show solidarity with others.”

Stadler was careful to stress she’s not pushing for another mandatory mask regime. Instead she’d like governments to set up a simple virus bulletin system.

She said: “Data on the spread of viruses already exists, but it’s not easily accessible to the public. Making it available would help those who want to protect themselves act accordingly.”

Marcel Tanner, professor emeritus of public health at the University of Basel and formerly on Switzerland’s Covid task force, had this to add:
“After everything we’ve learned, it would be logical for anyone with a cold to wear a mask, at least on public transportation.”

Now let me bring you up to speed on the UK side of things. The UK Health Security Agency reports that by October 3, weekly confirmed Covid cases were rising — in the week before September 24, there were 2,459 new cases. By September 10, cases in England had jumped 7.6 percent over the previous week.

Much of this upswing is being driven by the Stratus strain of the coronavirus, which includes two closely related variants: XFG and XFG.3. This version has been flagged for possibly triggering a severe hoarse voice way more often than past variants, on top of usual symptoms like fever and fatigue. But experts say there’s no current sign it causes more serious illness than what we’ve already seen.

Dr Allen from UKHSA was explicit: “Based on the available information so far, there is no evidence to suggest that the XFG and XFG.3 variants cause more severe disease than previous variants, or that the vaccines in current use will be less effective against them.”

The World Health Organization also sees XFG as posing a “low risk” globally. They noted:
“XFG is growing rapidly compared to co-circulating variants globally.

However, XFG exhibits only marginal additional immune evasion over [other variant] LP.8.1. … While there are reported increases in cases and hospitalizations in some of the [southeast Asia region] countries … there are no reports to suggest that the associated disease severity is higher as compared to other circulating variants. The available evidence on XFG does not suggest additional public health risks relative to the other currently circulating Omicron descendant lineages.”

So that’s where we stand: mask use is being nudged more gently than enforced, public data sharing is being championed, and the new strain drawing attention doesn’t yet appear more dangerous — though it might be a bit more vocal.