Advertisement

Delta variant: How worried should people be in Austria?

Hayley Maguire
Hayley Maguire - [email protected]
Delta variant: How worried should people be in Austria?
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has warned people not to become complacent amid the threat of the Delta variant. Photo: JOHN THYS / POOL / AFP

As cases of the Delta variant continue to rise in Austria, Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) is preparing to meet with the coronavirus task force to determine the next steps.

Advertisement

In the UK, cases of the Delta variant are rising significantly, with reports that the country is now recording more than 40,000 cases per day - the highest rate since January.

However, deaths remain low compared to previous waves of Covid-19, which is mostly being attributed to the country’s vaccination roll out with more than 60 per cent of people aged over 18 fully vaccinated.

In the USA, cases of the Delta variant are growing in the midwestern and southern states - regions with some of the lowest vaccination rates in the country.

But overall cases remain low compared to the peak in January and around 55 per cent of all Americans are fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

Austria's vaccination rate is at almost 50 per cent but cases are now rising again. What does this mean and should people be worried?

Advertisement

What is happening in Austria?

The Austrian government coronavirus task force will meet on Thursday 15th July to discuss the rising case numbers and the Delta variant. 

ORF reports that Kurz wants to consider the impact of returning travellers and night time gastronomy on the epidemiological situation in Austria.

Der Standard is reporting that a tightening of measures or the abandonment of previously announced further easing could be announced following the task force meeting.

MAPS: Where are Austria’s new coronavirus hotspots?

Although the number of Covid-19 cases in Austria is still low compared to other countries, cases are rising again, leading to concerns within the government. 

Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein (Greens) yesterday wrote on Twitter that 90 per cent of all new infections in Austria can now be traced to the Delta variant.

Mückstein described the increase as a “cause for concern” that could lead to an increase in hospitalisations. He said short term countermeasures were needed while calling on people in Austria to get vaccinated.

On Wednesday 14th July, Kurz and Mückstein specifically appealed to the younger generation to get vaccinated as they are the most at-risk group for the new strain of the virus.

Kurz has also been advocating for personal responsibility instead of state measures during a trip to the USA this week.

The Austrian government currently plans to end the mask mandate on 22nd July, with exceptions including public transport, supermarkets, hospitals and care homes. 

Advertisement

What are the experts saying?

Der Standard reports that Thomas Szekeres, President of the Medical Association, is calling for the use of FFP2 masks indoors to be compulsory and describes them as a “harmless measure” that prevents infection.

Szekeres is a member of the government coronavirus task force and has expressed concerns about weaknesses in the current 3-G (tested, vaccinated or recovered) strategy in Austria.

The Wiener Zeitung reports that Thomas Czypionka, a physician and health economist at the Institute for Higher Studies, says it is too early to assess the effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccination against the Delta variant.

The report adds that some fully vaccinated people in Israel are still being infected with the virus, and in Austria 314 cases have been recorded in people that are fully vaccinated, including 16 deaths.

The Local spoke to Fabian Valka, Researcher Mathematical Modeling and Machine Learning at vektorraum, about the relaxation of measures earlier this month who said the lifting of the mask mandate in Austria had the potential to increase the number of cases.

Valka, a co-author of the Covid-19 Model for Austria for Imperial College London, said: “Personally, I think that we’ll probably need to reintroduce many currently lifted interventions in Austria to stop the next wave of cases, hospitalisations, and deaths.”

READ MORE: Austria to introduce on-the-spot fines for breaching 3G rule

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also