More Corona cases: ‘Increase is not surprising’

At the end of August, 150 people with Covid disease were in hospitals across Austria – compared to the situation during the pandemic wedding, this seems almost negligible. But: The numbers are increasing and with the approach of autumn and winter, the infection process will also spread again. Immunologist Andreas Bergthaler sees no reason to panic at the moment.

crown.at: What is the current situation with the number of infections in Austria?
Andrew Bergthaler: What has become clear in recent weeks is that the number of infections is increasing. The reason for this is certainly the ‘Eris’ variant, but there are probably also other factors, such as the start of school. Overall, the increase is not surprising.

Do you expect a further increase in the number of infections in the winter?
The biggest difference from 2020 is that most of us have built up good immunity. This protects against serious slopes. Yes, the numbers will increase, which means there will also be serious illnesses. And unfortunately there will also be long-Covid cases. But the virus will not hit us as hard as it did in the early years of the pandemic.

Can Austria’s hospitals reach their capacity limits?
There is currently no reason to believe that the healthcare system is in danger.

Do you already recommend vaccination, or who should be vaccinated?
An updated vaccine will soon be available for those who want it, covering the most common virus variants. Vaccination certainly makes sense for people with previous illnesses. And of course, people who have had an infection or a booster shot for a while can get vaccinated if they feel they need the protection. In principle, there is the advice of the National Vaccination Commission.

Hospital admissions are increasing
The number of corona hospitalizations had recently increased again in Austria and according to the SARI dashboard there were approximately 155 registered hospitalizations in calendar week 34 (compared to 37 in calendar week 28). The number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals is at a “low level” compared to 2020 and 2021, says complexity researcher Peter Klimek. “It is very unlikely that Covid alone will return us to the hospital burden we had in the first two years of the pandemic.”

The new variants did not change that either. Even if the virus load shown by wastewater analyzes indicating corona infections had been relatively high over the course of the past waves, this would have translated into serious illnesses to a much lesser extent.

New vaccine arrived in Austria
The first adapted vaccines against the corona virus arrived in Austria on Tuesday, the Ministry of Health announced. They will also be delivered to the federal states in the coming days and should be available at the relevant vaccination centers in the course of the next week. A total of 1.9 million cans should be available in the autumn.

The vaccine from Mainz-based manufacturer Biontech and its US partner Pfizer, which is adapted to the dominant variant Omikron XBB.1.5, has recently been approved by the EU. More adapted vaccines are expected before the autumn, for example from the American company Moderna.

A sting from autumn
The National Vaccination Commission changed its vaccination advice for Austria last week. Depending on the vaccine, up to three doses were previously required for the basic immunization, but from the autumn the advice of only one corona vaccination applies.