While Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) has to clear up the chaos surrounding the now rare corona drug Paxlovid, hospital admissions due to infection with the Pirola variant of the virus have risen sharply. There has been an increase of almost 40 percent in the past four weeks.
The number of new Corona admissions in Austrian hospitals has increased considerably recently. This is evident from a look at the SARI dashboard of the Ministry of Health, the umbrella organization of social insurance companies and the Agency for Health and Food Security (AGES). In the week of November 20 to 26 (week 47), 1,081 Covid patients were admitted to normal wards, which corresponds to an increase of almost 40 percent within four weeks.
Intensive care units still stable
For calendar week 43 (October 23 to 29), 777 new admissions to normal wards were reported. However, the number of hospital admissions to intensive care units (ICU) has only changed slightly. While 36 people were admitted to ICUs due to coronavirus infection in the same period in October, this was 29 in the week of November 20 to 26. The data for the past two weeks has not yet been fully reported. The SARI dashboard shows the numbers of patients in Austrian hospitals with severe acute respiratory infections (SARI).
“Wave in this form may not even be visible yet”
According to figures from the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK), almost 42,000 people were on sick leave due to Covid-19 last week. “This is a wave that may not have been seen yet in the form and at the height of the pandemic,” said virologist and immunologist Andreas Bergthaler from MedUni Vienna in the morning newspaper Ö1, citing wastewater studies.
As a result, the so-called Pirola variant is currently spreading in Austria. This is a particularly contagious subvariant of the ommicron mutation that became known in January 2022. The analyzes said that Pirola’s sub-variants would increase in growth. “You could also conclude from this that the wave of infections may continue for a while longer,” Bergthaler said.
AKH has reduced corona tests
Only at the end of November did the Vienna General Hospital (AKH) reintroduce corona tests before inpatient admissions due to the increasing number of infections. The Vienna Health Association (WIGEV) had previously responded to the development of the number of infections with stricter measures. Since July 1, 2023, testing has been mandatory for patients with complaints in all WIGEV hospitals.
Paxlovid shortage at the worst possible time
The massive wave of infections is hitting the local Paxlovid shortage. The Minister of Health and the pharmacies share responsibility for each other. Rauch criticized Tuesday that the chamber had not yet been able to explain to him where the packages delivered to public pharmacies had gone. We receive various figures from the chamber every day: “They cannot have just disappeared from the face of the earth,” says Rauch.
The Chamber of Pharmacists did not accept this criticism. There are no packs that have “disappeared from the face of the earth”, but there are simply too few, according to a press release. “Currently, only 3,400 packs are left in stock in some of the 1,400 pharmacies or are already being redistributed through pharmaceutical wholesalers,” the chamber emphasizes. The drugs are purchased by the federal government.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
