Critical corona situation in Austria: According to the modeling, there is even a 1300 incidence in one region

Austria reports a new high in the number of new coronavirus infections.

Intensive care units are under pressure.

There is also a grim prognosis.

Vienna - The fourth corona wave in Austria is picking up speed.

In the past 24 hours, 8,594 new corona infections have been recorded, the numbers were revised upwards by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Health on Thursday morning.

For comparison: in the previous week there were only 4,248.

Corona alarm in Austria - Upper Austria is hit harder by the fourth corona wave

Corona wave in Austria - intensive care units are full

In the hospitals in Austria, 1826 Covid patients currently have to be treated on a "normal ward". 352 of them are being looked after in an intensive care unit, announced the Austrian Ministry of Health and the Interior on Thursday (November 4th). The critical limit of 300 corona patients was already significantly exceeded on Tuesday (November 2, 2021). This means that the so-called “Step 2” in the step-by-step plan has already come into force throughout Austria. In the coming week, Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein expects over 400 corona patients - which would then trigger "Stage 3". Further tightening is under discussion in order to stop the pressure on hospitals.

Operations are already being postponed in the clinics. The time has come in Styria. "The situation is escalating dramatically, especially in Upper Austria," says intensive care physician Walter Hasibeder in the

interview. In Linz and Wels more and more patients are being admitted to the hospital, colleagues reported to him. "The numbers are also shooting up in Lower Austria, the situation is tense everywhere." This is increasingly stressful for the staff. According to Haisbeder, the majority of patients are unvaccinated, and around 15 percent are vaccine breakthroughs. Most of the patients had massive previous illnesses.

The corona expert calls for a nationwide FFP2 mask requirement in public spaces.

"In addition, a mandatory vaccination for employees in the nursing and hospital sectors should finally be implemented."

Gloomy forecast for Austria - experts expect "significant increase"

The experts of the Covid forecast consortium on behalf of the Ministry of Health do not expect the corona situation to ease.

The consortium “continues to assume a significant increase” in the 7-day incidence, “which will have an impact on a corresponding increase in the level of intensive care and normal wards”.

In addition, the current Covid-19 forecast indicates that the effective number of reproductions has been above a value of 1 for four weeks.

That means: An incidence of 540 to 740 is expected on November 10th - the last day of the forecast.

The mean value of the 7-day incidence is therefore a value of 620. With a probability of 2.5 percent, an incidence above 810 or below 470 is also possible.

The experts expect the lowest incidence for Vienna with 280 to 450, the highest in Upper Austria with 820 to 1300.

Corona in Austria: "Development endangering the system" not excluded

The Covid-19 forecast was released on Wednesday (November 3rd).

The calculation date on November 2nd is the basis for the most recent forecast.

According to the experts, measures such as 3G at the workplace, additional vaccinations or other measures resulting from the step-by-step plan are not relevant for the forecast period because the effects are only to be expected with a delay.

An effect is possible through an increased number of recoveries, but no reliable figures are available for this.

This leads to "considerable uncertainty in the modeling of the expected peak of the fourth wave".

According to the consortium, “a development endangering the system” is “not excluded” if this trend continues.

The corona incidence in Vienna is approaching 250, the city is thinking about tightening it.

For the unvaccinated, the doors are already closed in many places.