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Firstly, at-risk patients over 80 in Vienna and, on the same day, elderly residents of nursing homes in Austria. Science Minister Heinz Faßmann replaces vaccination critic Doskozil.
Of Claudia gigler | 11.21 am, December 23, 2020
Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) and Minister of Health Rudolf anschober (Greens) reported today after a preparatory conversation Ursula Wiedermann-Schmidt, President of the Austrian Vaccination Society and President of the Medical Association Thomas Szekeres to the public about the vaccination schedule.
The start is on December 27, simultaneously in all federal states, with a focus on people over 80 years of age, especially in nursing homes, emphasized Federal Chancellor Sebastián Kurz. Every fourth Covid patient who is over 85 years old dies, for those over 75 years old it is ten percent. The first thing to do here is get started. Distribution throughout Austria is logistically guaranteed, especially thanks to cooperation with the armed forces.
First vaccination on Sunday at 9 am
The vaccine will arrive in Austria via Passau on December 26 and will be distributed throughout Austria by a pharmaceutical logistics company in cooperation with the armed forces. Originally, due to the necessary cooling, an initial distribution was only considered in Vienna and Lower Austria, but these difficulties have now been overcome.
The first vaccination takes place on Sunday at the Med-Uni in Vienna. The first injections will be administered on Sunday at 9 am by the president of the Medical Association, Thomas Szekeres, and vaccination expert Ursula Wiedermann-Schmidt.
The first people to be vaccinated in Austria are high-risk patients in a special outpatient clinic. There are five people over the age of 80, said Ursula Wiedermann-Schmid, president of the Austrian Vaccination Society, who will carry out the first vaccination. All five subjects volunteered.
Minister of Health Rudolf Anschober. “Now we have a lot of possibilities to change things.” No one believed that vaccination “could become a reality so quickly.”
This week’s approval day was a “very important day.” The vaccination hotline, the general trial, the organization of logistics were processed in the shortest possible time, including the transmission of orders to pharmaceutical wholesalers.
Starts with 10,000 vaccination doses for Austria. Each federal state could “request up to 975 doses” (the vaccine is packaged in this denomination), the criticisms of the federal states about an unfair distribution were rejected by the government. About one million doses of the available vaccine will be available in the first three months of 2021. A total of 18.5 million doses of vaccines were ordered; hopefully more vaccines would be approved shortly.
Certificate of vaccination and vaccination
In the coming weeks the electronic vaccination card will also be launched, the financing will be decided today in the Council of Ministers.
The fact that vaccines are started all at once in all Austrian federal states and at the same time in all EU countries is a great sign. In mid-January, the elderly and nursing homes should be vaccinated extensively, with the second dose continuing towards the end of January. Modern vaccine approval is expected shortly, Astrazeneca vaccine approval is expected in February, and other companies are in the works with their products. Anschober: “There are great days for joint European action, but also great days for science.”
The first focus of vaccines is on the elderly and nursing homes due to the high risk of infection and the high mortality rate. Here too special provisions have been made for the Christmas holidays:
- 3.5 million antigen tests were purchased specifically for homes and delivered there through pharmacies.
- The increased protection regulations for visitors (antigen test and FFP2 mask) are due to the great concern for the elderly and must also be observed. But both tests and masks are sufficiently available, and there are now many ways to test: health facilities, vaccination routes, and even hardships at home.
Vaccination resource
Now it’s about vaccinating as many people as possible, says vaccination doctor Wiedermann-Schmidt. He rejected criticism of a hasty approval, stating that deadlines had not been shortened. The speed is solely due to the good cooperation between all those involved within the EU.
The president of the Medical Association, Szekeres, added that vaccination was the only way to protect Covid patients from death. Szekeres is also pleased that an Austrian has made a significant contribution to the development of the vaccine and that part of the vaccine is also produced in Austria.
The mutation, which is causing a stir in Britain, has yet to be identified in Austria, but is continually being checked.
Fassmann’s criticism of Doskozil
Science minister Heinz Fassmann (ÖVP), meanwhile, on Wednesday made statements critical of vaccination by the governor of Burgenland Hans Peter Doskozil (SPÖ) rejected as “very inappropriate”. Testing of vaccines is very demanding and offers people maximum safety, and the questions posed by Doskozil have already been convincingly answered by science, Faßmann says.
Despite the rapid approval of corona vaccination, the studies were not skipped, but were carried out in parallel. “They will vaccinate me as soon as it is my turn,” explained Fassmann. “The subject is not suitable to change the political change”, criticized Doskozil and continued: “His statements are very inappropriate for a governor in this crucial phase of the fight against the pandemic.”
Burgenland SPÖ president is skeptical about planned vaccinations before the turn of the year. “We will not participate in this vaccination program. It is again a presentation,” he announced on Tuesday. For him, there are still many questions that the turquoise-green federal government has to answer.
