The Swiss cybersecurity company Exeon, which specializes in IT networks and infrastructures, has brought on board Gregor Erismann, a member of the management board of Namics. Erismann joined Exeon in February as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and has since expanded the management team of the former ETH spin-off.

Erismann is a communications and marketing professional and had been with Namics since 2014, serving as chief marketing officer and executive committee member since 2016. In this role, he was responsible for market development in Germany and Switzerland, including customer acquisition and the further development of partner networks, according to the Exeon release.

"Comprehensive cybersecurity is highly relevant for companies to maintain operations and protect sensitive data," says Gregor Erismann about his new role. "How Exeon supports companies with artificial intelligence to fend off cyber attacks and thus make the IT world more secure inspires and excites me," Erismann says.

As vaccine development and availability continue to pose further uncertainties, the federal government signed another contract with the German pharmaceutical company Curevac and the Swedish government for the supply of five million vaccine doses. Further, the federal government signed a preliminary contract with Novavax for six million vaccine doses.

Functionality of Curevac and Novavax

Like Pfizer/Biontech and Moderna, Curevac relies on the novel mRNA technology: mRNA is a kind of messenger molecule that carries the building instructions for the production of proteins. This transmits the necessary information to the body's cells on how to produce a viral protein. Once the protein is produced in the body, the immune system recognizes it as foreign to the body and thus produces antibodies against the virus. Novavax's vaccine contains the "spike protein" of the Covid 19 virus. The immune system produces antibodies against the protein, thus preparing the body for infection with the Covid-19 virus.

Additional cans from Moderna

Assuming the approval is successful and Swissmedic grants approval, Curevac is expected to begin shipping to Switzerland in the second quarter of 2021. For the non-EU countries Norway, Iceland and Switzerland, Sweden will order the doses and resell them to the respective countries at no profit, according to the federal government.

Like Curevac, Novavax's vaccine is currently in the final testing phase. Once the final contract is signed with Novavax, the protein-based vaccine can be delivered to Switzerland from Q2 2021.

In addition, the federal government has concluded a further contract with Moderna for an additional six million vaccine doses. This brings the agreed supply volume to 13.5 million doses. The Moderna vaccine has already been approved by Swissmedic and has an efficacy of 95 percent.

Source: The Confederation

Global EHS consultancy Du Pont Sustainable Solutions (DSS) interviewed safety professionals in various industries across Europe who have successfully managed the crisis. The report aims to show in which efforts organizations usually succeed and where they mostly fail. In general, participation in safety activities and standards is very high, he said. However, there are also weaknesses. According to the report, only 46 percent of incidents investigated are fully investigated and corrective action is taken.

When it comes to training and recognition of safety performance, incidents are fully addressed by only nine percent of companies, according to survey participants. In Germany, for example, the study found, the need to reduce face-to-face contacts generally led to a decline in face-to-face security interactions over the past 12 months.

Five safety measures for 2021

The conclusion of the study authors is that companies should raise awareness among the workforce through training and coaching in the area of security and risk management. In general, safety should be increased in the second place so that people are more specifically involved in risk processes. Third, safety efforts already made should be increasingly encouraged and challenged through positive reinforcement. Operational discipline is to be improved immediately according to defined measures, so that more effective action can be taken in the event of incidents and corrective measures. As a fifth measure, it is important to incorporate more extra-company and psychosocial changes into the risk programs.

Source: Du Pont Sustainable Solutions

While FFP2 masks are already mandatory in some regions of Europe, fabric masks are still very popular in this country. The question always arises, Who and how well such masks protect. In the meantime, the Swiss Association for Standardization (SNV), in collaboration with experts, issued a normative document at the end of November to define basic requirements for so-called community masks and their test procedures.

The Swiss rule is "SNR 30000:2021 Community masks - Basic requirements and test methods". and concretizes the recommendations of the Swiss Covid Task Force with the natural requirements for community masks in terms of splash/drop resistance, filtration efficiency and breathing resistance. At the European level, work is already underway on such a standardization sheet, for which the SNV narrative now represents a "solid basic document".

Community masks that meet the requirements of SNR 30000 may thus be identified by the manufacturer as a self-declaration. The packaging may now say, for example: "The community mask meets the requirements of SNR 30000".

According to the SNV, community masks have a similarly high filtering performance as the hygiene masks. However, both mask types mainly protect the environment and less the wearers themselves. Those who want even greater protection against corona infection should opt for an FFP2 mask. But even in this case, it is important that the mask covers the nose, mouth and chin and closes at the cheeks.

Source: SNV

Today, Wednesday, 5000 alarm systems will be tested throughout Switzerland. As in the last two years, the "Alertswiss" channels have been tested. According to the FOCP, the number of mobile siren users has recently risen to 680,000. There are around 5000 sirens for the general alarm throughout Switzerland. According to the Federal Office for Civil Protection (FOCP), 2200 additional mobile sirens reach the entire population in Switzerland.

Triggered, according to the communication about the sirens at 13:30 is the sign "General alarm", a regular ascending and descending wail of one minute duration. If necessary, the siren test can continue until 14:00. In parallel, each canton disseminates an information message via "Alertswiss". In the near zones below dams, the water alarm is tested from 14:15 until 15:00 at the latest. The signal consists of twelve low continuous tones of 20 seconds each at intervals of ten seconds.

The use of mobile sirens on pre-planned routes will not be tested this year. This is intended to relieve the burden on civil protection personnel, who are heavily involved in pandemic response.

More Alertswiss users

The number of users of Alertswiss has also increased steadily in recent times, writes the FOCP. While the Alertswiss app had 490,000 active users in February 2020, the number rose by 40 percent to 680,000 during the pandemic.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Alertswiss proves to be of good service with differentiated information, such as the publication of rules of conduct or of valid pandemic measures in the cantons. Parallel to the first triggering of the general siren alarm, an information message is triggered on cell phones on February 3, 2021.

Source: Federal Office for Civil Protection FOCP

Covid-19 is difficult to estimate, and complex mathematical models that quantify infection risks are ultimately attempts to approximate reality - even in the case of ski resorts and the many people who cavort there. That's why the team led by Ivan Lunati of Empa's Multiscale Studies in Building Physics department began its work precisely in this reality: in cable car cabins and gondolas of the Engelberg-Trübsee-Titlis (BET) mountain railroads.

Fewer passengers = lower risk

But what about the emission rate of pathogens? A tricky point, says Lunati, because some of the properties of Sars-CoV-2 are still unclear. Moreover, the emission rate is known to depend on the behavior of an infected person. Does he breathe calmly, or is he so strained from skiing that he snorts violently? Does he laugh, speak - and if so, loudly or softly? According to Lunati, good data on this is currently scarce. In addition, the physics of how droplets and aerosols spread in a room are not fully understood.

What concrete recommendations can be derived from the study? In addition to the obvious advice of "Please ventilate!" it is also worth limiting the number of passengers per trip. "This is already done in ski resorts anyway and is definitely the right strategy," says Lunati.

Cough in the sights of science

Talks about cooperation are already underway with the cable car manufacturer CWA in Olten, which has been following and supporting the research. "The subject of air exchange has so far been treated rather stepmotherly," says Massimo Ratti. Data like that from Empa, says the "Chief Technical Officer" of CWA, would be really helpful - not only in the current situation, but also with a view to future ropeways in public transport. After all, the demands there are even higher than in ski resorts, explains the expert: "We would be very interested in taking part in a research project for cabins with even better air circulation."

In the future, Empa researchers also want to improve the data basis for the emission of viruses - with a "cough machine" that they have developed in their laboratory. From two cylinders, comparable to lungs, special compressed air enters a "head" via hoses: heated to body temperature, enriched with moisture and droplets, the spread of which is then recorded by two cameras - also suitable for tests of future protective masks.

Source: Empa

Three weeks after Donald Trump's supporters attacked the Capitol, the former U.S. president has been critical of the police operation. During the storming of the parliament building, what surprised him most was how poorly prepared the security forces were, the 59-year-old Democrat told ZDF in an interview for "heute journal." The authorities were much better prepared when it came to peaceful demonstrations of the Black Lives Matter movement. I could hardly believe that the Capitol Police and our security forces could not foresee this storm," he said.

In the attack on the Capitol on January 6, hundreds of Trump supporters stormed with high levels of violence. Already the day after the attack on the Capitol, Obama had spoken of a "moment of great dishonor" and a "disgrace to our nation."

Source: Der Spiegel

The Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) has launched an open platform to support the further spread of shared mobility. On the website sharedmobility.ch The locations of vehicles are shown in real time, including e-bikes, bikes and e-scooters from many providers such as Airbie, Bird, Carsharing and Mobility

The project was inaugurated together with the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE), the Energy Switzerland program and various share-mobility providers. Other e-mobility providers may join at any time, according to the SFOE. The data is based on Open Data and can therefore also be used, for example, for route planners by public transport providers under the "O-By" usage license. Mobility providers can use this data in their own apps without having to agree on a separate data interface with each sharing provider.

Current shows www.sharedmobility.ch The availability and locations of the following shared mobility providers: Airbie, Bird, Bond, Carvelo2go, Donkey Republic, Edrive Carsharing, Mobility, Nextbike, Pick-e-Bike, Publibike, Rent a Bike, Tier, Voi and Zisch.

Source: Federal Office of Energy

Numerous corona patients suffer from the long-term consequences of the disease. Even sufferers with mild symptoms report complications occurring later. However, "long covid" patients often feel left alone with their fears, complaints and questions, as Lunge Zurich writes in a statement.

In professional circles, there is still a lack of contact points and suitable therapies. For this reason, the former Lung League (now: "Lunge Zurich"), the online platform "Altea" was launched.

The platform is intended not only to support those affected with medical questions, but also to be a general point of contact so that Long Covid patients can exchange information with each other. In addition, doctors, therapists and researchers can bring together new findings to raise public awareness of the long-term effects of the coronavirus and to better document the accompanying symptoms. In a second step, Altea will also be a real service and counseling center.

Source: Lungs Zurich

www.altea-netzwerk.ch
www.lunge-zuerich.ch/altea-netzwerk

According to a study by ZHAW and Allianz Suisse, many SMEs still underestimate the risk of cyberattacks on their own company. In order to increasingly reduce such risks, more awareness-raising measures and the preparation of emergency scenarios are required. Seriously, according to the study, employees often do not consider their own company important enough to be "a worthwhile target." This attitude can lead employees to be insufficiently vigilant.

Employees often feel helpless in the event of an attack

However, cyber criminals often take advantage of precisely this opportunity and try to infiltrate the company system via malware or obtain passwords. Especially in this day and age, when more employees are working from home, the risks are increasing. In most cases, technical aspects such as external access to the corporate network play a role. On the other hand, direct communication with employees is also more difficult, which makes employees more susceptible to suspicious emails.

Companies should actively involve employees

Employees often feel relatively helpless when an attack is detected and assume that specialists will help anyway, the report concludes. However, the results of the study also show that SMEs generally have a good corporate culture with a strong focus on solutions, and that employees often want to help in dealing with a loss event.

The authors of the study make a number of recommendations: These include more information measures within SMEs to raise awareness. Furthermore, companies should develop strategies to cope with possible attacks and failures of IT systems and train for these scenarios. The study concludes that companies should actively involve their employees in developing appropriate solution strategies.

According to the ZHAW, the study used the so-called "deep metaphor interview technique," which required respondents to select different images to explore perceptions and attitudes toward various aspects of cybercrime.

To the complete study

Source: ZHAW

Together, the FBI and Europol have taken control of a massive botnet infrastructure and this downed. According to a Europol spokesman, "Emotet" was one of the most "dangerous tools" for cyberattacks in recent years so far.

At that time, Emotet was already circulating as a malware. Last warned also the Schwez National Center for Cybersecurity (NCSC, formerly Melani) before the Malscam emails.

Active for over two years

In recent months, Emotet has often been used in fake e-mails with the sender "Cantonal Police" or a supposedly public administration. In most cases, Emotet appears in the attachment of mails as a password-protected zip file or as a Word document. As soon as illegal access to a system was possible, it was sold on to cybercriminals in the network so that they could infiltrate their own Trojans again.

According to Europol, the international investigators have now brought the infrastructure of the entire cyberware network under control and shut it down. The operation lasted more than two years and eight countries were involved in the investigation.

The malware was also hidden in fake invoices or alleged information about Covid-19. In January, the Bern Cantonal Police was among those affected. Mails were sent that at first glance appeared to be from the Kapo Bern, but on closer inspection usually showed unauthentic sender addresses.

Source: Europol

As the Federal Council writes in a statement, the pandemic situation in Switzerland continues to ease only slowly. The number of new infections is also not decreasing. However, the number of hospitalizations and deaths have decreased. The tense situation in intensive care units has changed less. This burden remains "unchanged high", as the proportion of new virus variants doubles every week.

Test, test ... test

Because there are many people who can transmit Covid-19 who have no particular symptoms at all, the federal government has allowed testing of people in nursing homes, hotels and workplaces since mid-December, so that more people are tested to protect those at particular risk. The federal government now covers the costs of such tests. If someone tests positive, an additional PCR test must be performed and the result reported. The tests can be done on site and also by the staff themselves.

The advanced testing strategy will also be adapted in the new Covid 19 Regulation 3, which will come into force on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021. From February 1, the federal government will also cover the costs of vaccinations by pharmacists to enable cantons to integrate pharmacies into the vaccination organization.

Shortened quarantine in case of negative test

The change in the Covid 19 regulation includes a number of other measures. Previously, with regard to the quarantine obligation, it was regulated that a person had to go into a ten-day quarantine from the last contact with a person. If the person concerned now carries out a rapid antigen test or a PCR test from the seventh day onwards and the result is negative, the cantonally ordered quarantine can be ended prematurely. The person still has to bear these test costs himself. However, the person must stay in their accommodation or in a hotel until the quarantine actually expires (ten days).

More contact tracing for inbound travelers

In future, people entering the country from a risk area will have to present a PCR test that is no older than 72 hours. They then enter a ten-day quarantine, which can now be terminated after seven days if there is a negative result from a rapid antigen test or a PCR test.

For air travel from countries that do not belong to the risk area, a negative PCR test result must also be available before boarding the aircraft. In addition, all contact data for travelers from risk countries will now be recorded on an electronic travel form. The federal government writes that this will make it easier and faster to trace back infections in the future. These newly adopted quarantine and entry regulations come into force on February 8.

There are also new Regulatory fineswhich can amount to between 50 and 200 francs, depending on the offense. For example, anyone not wearing a mask on public transport, at public stations or at bus stops can be asked to pay. Administrative fines can now also be imposed for participation in prohibited private events.

Source: the Federal Council