Image: Volker Weihbold
It was the last appearance of the four representatives of the Linz crisis team. As was the case almost every week at the height of the pandemic, Mayor Klaus Luger (SP), City Councilor for Health Michael Raml (FP), City Council Director Ulrike Huemer and Director of Health Günter Nemeth appeared in front of the media today – on the one hand to take stock and on the other to draw lessons for the future.
98 percent of Linzers have “certain immunity”
In numbers, the health balance can be drawn quickly: 142,000 people tested positive, 393 Linzers died of or with a Covid infection, almost 53 percent of Linz residents have been vaccinated at least three times, 98 percent of the population are likely to have had a vaccine through vaccinations and/or infections have some immunity.
“Always had the situation under control”
As far as the city’s handling of the pandemic is concerned, self-praise prevails. “We always had the situation under control,” says Luger. There were weaknesses in the IT area in particular, but they were so far under control that the system did not collapse. What was sorely lacking was nationwide data management. As a result, the municipalities had to create their own structures. “We managed to create IT applications very quickly. That should have been the case throughout Austria,” says Huemer. The crisis team also had to do a cold start, but according to Luger, its work was professionalized within a very short time. Another key finding from the corona pandemic was the rapid expansion of digital offerings. Despite different attitudes to the pandemic and the measures, the cooperation worked well, Luger and Raml note. However, this is also due to the fact that the main decisions were made at federal level and the city was only an executive body.
The magistrate issued around 182,000 notices
In numbers, the Corona management of the city of Linz means: 189,200 suspected cases led to 182,320 notifications, including the isolation of contact persons. The crisis management team held a total of 175 situation meetings between March 2020 and November 2022. 45 additional contact tracers were included, and a total of 145 employees were busy with the pandemic. 620 employees of the municipal authorities were deployed in 75 test streets. 27,000 people were tested in the city vaccination bus.
Pandemic guide in progress
The city of Linz is currently working on a pandemic guide that summarizes the experiences and tried-and-tested solutions. The established processes of the crisis management team are to be recorded there, as well as a risk analysis of viruses, pathogens and an epidemiological assessment of the situation in the region, which is constantly updated. Furthermore, the organizational measures at administrative level and the coordination of all those involved are determined. “The tools resulting from the guidelines can be called up quickly in the event of a crisis and simplify a standardized procedure coordinated with all those involved,” says Nemeth.
Raml also points to the considerable social impact. Care and prevention should be further promoted. However, a far-reaching reform of the entire healthcare system is needed.
Source: Nachrichten
