The number of corona infections in Austria is falling slightly, but doctors are warning: The number of deaths has reached a high level again, and the situation in the hospitals remains tense. Operations have to be postponed again: “In the hospitals we have the collateral damage caused by the insufficient vaccination rate,” describes Walter Hasibeder, President of the Society for Anesthesiology, Resuscitation and Intensive Care Medicine (GARI).
The Ministry of Health and the Interior reported on Tuesday 22 deaths in Austria to or with Covid-19 within one day. This number is more than twice the average for the past seven days.
Within 24 hours (as of Tuesday, 9.30 a.m.) there were 1240 new infections, the seven-day incidence per 100,000 inhabitants was around 150, according to the Federal Health Agency AGES. 664 Covid patients were in the normal wards and 220 in the intensive care units.
Once the intensive care unit has been used ten percent, “as is well known, normal operation is no longer possible,” says Hasibeder. According to the AGES dashboard, the mark is currently exceeded in Vienna (17 percent), Upper (twelve percent) and Lower Austria (eleven percent). There are again reports of postponed operations from hospitals in several federal states due to the corona pandemic. This impairment of normal operation is a “creeping” process, explained Hasibeder. If one does not want to get into an “increasingly dramatic supply situation”, a higher vaccination rate would have to be achieved.
Vienna: 2G in night gastronomy
In the meantime, Vienna has again tightened the corona measures beyond the federal ordinance. From October 1st, initially for one month, the following applies in the federal capital: Access to after-dinner dining and to events with more than 500 people only for vaccinated or recovered people (“2G”). In retail there should be a general FFP2 mask requirement for customers. Vienna’s Mayor Michael Ludwig (SP) also spoke out in favor of a 3G rule in the workplace, similar to the one that will apply in Italy from mid-October. There should be a social partner regulation.
Discussions are already taking place, it was said on Tuesday by the trade union federation and the Chamber of Commerce.
Braunau: Hope for vaccinations
In the Braunau district, where exit controls had to be ordered, there is hope for an increasing vaccination rate – and a falling seven-day incidence.
The percentage of fully immunized in the population was 49.7 percent in the Braunau district on Tuesday. This means that only 0.3 percent or around 320 fully vaccinated people were missing to reach the 50 percent share. If this is reached and the seven-day incidence falls below 300, then according to the decree of the Ministry of Health, the exit controls can be ended. The incidence in Braunau fell from 376.6 on Sunday to 353.1 on Tuesday.
