The fall wave of coronavirus infections is being met with reduced vaccination protection in schools as fewer and fewer students are vaccinated against Covid-19. Only a fifth (19.7 percent) have a valid vaccination certificate – in February there were twice as many. After all, about 80 percent of teachers have been vaccinated.
In a similar evaluation at the beginning of February, 45 percent of the students still had a valid vaccination certificate. In mid-September, that was only 19.7 percent, Statistics Austria reported on Friday based on data from the vaccination register. Another 14.6 percent of students have not been vaccinated but have recently recovered from a corona infection (18.6 percent in February).
“Currently, the corona fall wave in the education sector affects a relatively small part of school children with a valid COVID-19 vaccination and/or recovery certificate,” says Director General Tobias Thomas of Statistics Austria in a broadcast.
Vaccination rate higher in the east
There are relatively many vaccinated schoolchildren in Burgenland (26 percent), Lower Austria (23.5 percent) and Vienna (22.3 percent). This is followed by Styria (19.7), Vorarlberg (18.8), Tyrol (17.1) and the rear lights Upper Austria (16.2) and Carinthia (15.6 percent). By way of comparison: in February, between 55.4 percent (Burgenland) and 37.1 percent (Carinthia) still had a valid vaccination certificate.
When comparing the figures with February, it should be noted that the rules for obtaining vaccination certificates have changed since then. The minimum intervals between vaccinations have now fallen. A previous illness no longer affects the validity of the vaccination. And both the basic vaccination (three “bites”) and the fourth booster vaccination are each valid for 12 months.
decline in all age groups
However, the decrease is noticeable in all age groups and school types: at primary schools 5.1 percent of children currently have a valid vaccination certificate, at secondary schools 9.6 percent, at lower AHS levels 16.6 percent and at higher levels 48.6 per cent. By comparison, in February, between 20.5 percent of children in primary schools and 79.3 percent in upper secondary education were validly vaccinated.
The decline in vaccination protection among teachers is much less drastic. At the beginning of February, 82.5 percent were vaccinated, now it is 77.8 percent. Vaccination rates are highest among teachers in secondary schools (84.9 percent), for those in vocational schools (79.7), secondary schools (76.9) and primary schools (73.1 percent).
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.
