Low vaccination rate and social rifts due to Corona: In view of these problems, the country had a survey carried out at the IMAS institute in order to derive measures.
Key results: 29 percent of the Upper Austrians surveyed over 16 years of age stated that they had not yet been vaccinated against Corona. Of these, 22 percent – around three quarters – are also not interested in a vaccination, seven percent are.
Of the unvaccinated people who are not interested in vaccinating, 60 percent are women and 40 percent are men. Women under the age of 50 are particularly skeptical. According to the study, fear of impaired fertility plays a role here. In general, there is very little trust in the corona vaccines, their development and manufacturers among those who refuse to vaccinate.
Expert refutes myths
When asked about the reasons for the vaccination refusal, 92 percent agree with the statement that the virus can be passed on despite vaccination. 91 percent argue that you can still get sick. 89 percent say the vaccines have not been adequately tested. 88 percent are too uncertain about the long-term consequences of the corona vaccines. When asked about the reasons, without making specific statements about the selection, the topic of vaccine damage is just as far up front, and here also infertility was specifically mentioned.
Tilman Königswieser from the country’s crisis team is trying to dispel all of these concerns. Yes, there are vaccination breakthroughs, but the corona vaccines are highly effective, he said at the presentation of the survey yesterday, Wednesday, in Linz. Only three percent of 24,000 symptomatic corona cases in Upper Austria this year were fully immunized, said Königswieser, who is the medical director of the Salzkammergut Clinic. At the height of the pandemic, around 200 corona patients were hospitalized in the Salzkammergut alone, around half of them residents. Now there are no more residents from old people’s homes in the hospital because their vaccination rate is very high.
“With the vaccination we would have the means to get the vaccination under control worldwide,” says Königswieser. But every person is just an individual with thoughts and topics. In countries like Portugal, where corona was particularly high, the vaccination rate is often higher. The reason the vaccines developed quickly is because all of the science has been focused on them and there has been years of research into vaccines against coronaviruses. Approval procedures have been streamlined. Regarding possible long-term effects, Königswieser says: “Damage that only occurs after several years is very unlikely and unusual.” When it comes to fertility problems, he speaks of a “fairy tale”.
The thing about the spike protein
The concern that the corona vaccination could render infertile is mainly due to the fact that parts of the virus envelope – the spike protein – are contained in the vaccination that are similar to the placenta protein Syncytin-1. The fear that antibodies that are formed against the spike protein also attack syncytin-1 and thus disrupt the growth of the placenta has been refuted in scientific studies.
According to the study, eight percent of those who refused to vaccinate say that Corona does not actually exist. Königswieser: “There are relatives of Covid patients on the ventilator who demand:” Now tell me what my brother really has. ” That leaves us speechless. “
Deputy Governor Christine Haberlander (VP) said that we had to inform and convince even more. The state wants to push company vaccinations with vaccination buses and, together with doctors, especially gynecologists, as well as universities of teacher education, intensify information campaigns and roll them out in a targeted manner.
22 percent of those who refused to vaccinate over the age of 16 are around 270,000 people. In the survey, however, 68 percent said they were vaccinated – although it is actually 66 percent. This can increase the number to around 300,000. With those who did not provide any information in the survey, there are around 340,000 people who, from the point of view of the country, need to be reached, as reported. Migrants whose language barriers were too high were not included in the study.
