In just one week, the number of sick people with the coronavirus has increased by more than 25 percent. The week before, the ÖGK health insurance fund registered 52,338 people who had to miss work due to illness. The week before there were 41,690 cases.
Meanwhile, the first tranche of 7,200 packs of the backorder of the Covid drug Paxlovid was fully delivered to the 23 locations of the Austrian full-service pharmaceutical wholesaler (Phago). Pharmacies may order a maximum of three items per order.
Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) announced on Wednesday that a total of 18,000 packs of Paxlovid would be reordered. After the delivery of a first tranche, there should be definitive relief from the tight availability by Monday (today) at the latest. “All Phago wholesalers have now received a tranche,” the Association of Full Pharmaceutical Wholesalers said when asked by APA. The 7,200 pieces are ‘processed and delivered’ from the 23 warehouses.
Wholesale: “The demand is enormous”
What the Phago wholesalers are already noticing: “The demand is enormous,” was emphasized. The federal government has therefore been asked to release the next tranche of the backorder from manufacturer Pfizer. From a return campaign by pharmacies and hospitals, approximately 4,000 packages, almost exclusively from hospitals, had already been distributed to pharmacies the week before.
Each pharmacy can order up to three packs of Paxlovid at the same time, the Austrian Chamber of Pharmacists said on Monday. Once two units have been issued, repeat orders can be placed so that there are no more than three packs in a pharmacy. The tablets are intended for people at risk and, if taken shortly after the onset of symptoms, protect against a serious course of Covid.
ÖGK chief doctor: “The wave of colds is firmly under control in Austria”
In addition to the Corona sick leave, the number of people who cannot work due to flu-like infections increased from 90,405 to 102,274 the week before. According to this data, there were 888 “real” flu cases, or flu (week 49: 568). In total, more than 155,000 people with respiratory infections were unable to work. “Austria has the current cold wave firmly under control,” emphasizes ÖGK chief physician Andreas Krauter.
“The numbers for all three diseases – the real flu, flu-like infections and Covid – are constantly rising. That is why it is important to protect yourself and the people around you, especially in the run-up to Christmas,” Krauter said in an ÖGK broadcast. “In crowds, I recommend wearing a mask and washing and disinfecting your hands regularly. If you have not yet been vaccinated against flu or Covid, now is the time.”
Source: Krone
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