In addition, creative solutions are needed to increase the vaccination rate – for example through a lottery, the issue of tickets for concerts or sporting events or the payment of bonuses for employees of large companies who are vaccinated.
In addition, the planning of the third vaccination for the over-60 age group must be started quickly, demanded Rendi-Wagner. In older people, the protective antibodies decline faster, and their immune system is weaker. “We can’t wait until we have five or six clusters in nursing homes.” Preparations must begin before the European Medicines Agency has given the go-ahead. This is likely to take some time because companies have not yet submitted any applications.
Video: Statement from Rendi-Wagner
According to the SPÖ boss, testing should remain free throughout Austria – this applies to both antigen and PCR tests. The latter would even have to be expanded in order to have a representative overview of virus spread and mutations. If you take away the free test offer from people, the test would logically be less – so you lose track of what is happening with the infection. In addition, immunized persons should also be tested regularly, as the vaccination does not have a sterilizing effect.
Rendi-Wagner did not want to evaluate the suggestion of the Lower Austrian Medical Association for the shortened validity of tests. Of course, the meaningfulness of a test is always only a snapshot – the narrower the window, the more accurate the meaningfulness. “But it is not the medical association that has the expertise here.” These are the epidemiologists and virologists. Regarding the consideration of Tyrolean hoteliers to only accommodate vaccinated people in winter, the SPÖ boss said that at the moment there was a lack of sufficient verification of the current requirements. “Whether 1G, 2G or 3G – the biggest problem is control.”
