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With 2,782 other people infected, a new record was recorded for a Sunday. In Salzburg, the governor warns of crowded hospitals.
Currently, the coronavirus is spreading rapidly in Austria: with 3,614 new SARS-CoV-2 infections in 24 hours in Austria, the number of active cases in Austria increased to more than 20,000 for the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic. Another 2,782 infections were added on Sunday, a record for a Sunday. There are already 21,974 people actively infected. The number of people hospitalized is also increasing considerably. However, no one sees the need for closure.
However, there were warnings about it on Sunday: “The situation is extremely serious, the situation is getting worse,” Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) said in the “Kurier”. In other countries there are already closures with schools, shops, restaurants and curfews closed. This is also imminent in Austria if the growth of infections is not slowed. “At the moment it doesn’t appear that is the case,” Kurz said gloomily.
Franz Allerberger, head of the “Public Health” department of AGES (Agency for Health and Food Safety), for his part, did not consider a second blockade necessary for the moment: “I think the same objective can be achieved with softer measures” . , said in the program ORF-Ö3 “Breakfast with me”. Unlike Health Minister Rudolf Anschober (Greens), who wants to start vaccinating in the first quarter of 2021, Allerberger doesn’t expect a corona vaccine until July 2021.
Overload in Salzburg already in a week
Salzburg Governor Wilfried Haslauer (ÖVP) warned of impending hospital overload due to the Corona crisis. In Salzburg it could be that far in a week, Haslauer told the ORF “press hour”. If the number of infections continues to increase dramatically, further measures may be necessary throughout Austria in his opinion. To deal with the crown crisis in hospitals, Haslauer asked the federal government for more money for the states.
Haslauer warned last week that the hospital’s capacity in his state would be depleted in two weeks. Half the way is already gone: “Then the staff will be changed, the beds will be changed, and then hip operations that may have already been postponed must be postponed again.” Haslauer also sees the tracking of new infections “at the border” due to the “explosive” development of infections.
A debate over tracing erupted on Saturday after the Vorarlberg state government announced Friday that it would have to reduce the scope of contact tracing in the westernmost state for capacity reasons. Anschober saw a misunderstanding in this: because only direct questioning of K1 and K2 contact persons going beyond the regulations will be reduced. The Health Minister saw the monitoring and isolation of close contacts after corona infections in Vorarlberg remained insured. In a broadcast Saturday, Anschober called the contact tracing restriction reported by the state the day before a “misunderstanding.”
Anschober: imitating, installing the application
Anschober appealed Sunday to install the Stop Corona app. He stressed that contact person management is critical and can be supported by installing the app: “Now is the time to get involved. It is not a big hassle and helps protect yourself and others.
AGES epidemiologist Daniela Schmid emphasized that reducing contact tracing is not an option. Monitoring of contact persons is evidence-based, the most effective measure against the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Human resources would also be available. Anyone who abandons contact tracing gives up control of the epidemic, Schmid said at the news conference on the stoplight change on Friday.
Virologist Elisabeth Puchhammer-Stöckl from MedUni Vienna warned several people in the Ministry of Health working group that control over the infection process could be lost. Detailed analyzes in Vienna had shown that “infections are already being acquired in an unclear way in the public space (…)”, he quoted the “Kleine Zeitung” (Sunday edition) of the Puchhammer-Stöckl mail. Research has shown that “more and more people do not know where they could have been infected,” explained the doctor.
At the office of the city councilor for health, Peter Hacker (SPÖ), ORF Vienna was told that the investigation was unknown. According to a Hackers spokesperson, it is not entirely clear where a person is infected in only four percent of infected people.
Meanwhile, another discussion arose about the so-called free trials. The ÖVP wants to allow the “free trial” of K1 contacts after five days of quarantine. Education Minister Heinz Faßmann (ÖVP) had demanded that teachers who had close contact with a person positive for Covid, but did not develop any symptoms after five days, be released from quarantine with a negative test. The ÖP Minister of Tourism, Elisabeth Köstinger, has also spoken in favor of this “free choice”. This is particularly demanded by the representatives of the company. The Life Union also welcomed this idea on Saturday.
The Anschober gave a rejection: “Especially in times of massive increase in the number of infections, I am not ready to take a greater risk to the population,” Anschober said Saturday in response to a request from the APA. He referred to the guidelines of health organizations such as the European ECDC and the WHO. Austria was the first country to reduce the quarantine from 14 to 10 days. “We are reviewing further simplifications and will implement them as soon as it is ensured that this does not increase risk.”
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