Corona in Austria: Autumn wave is rolling - Vienna is advising on expanding the mask requirement

Created: 05/10/2022 20:18

By: Anna Lorenz

Austria: The number of infections with the corona virus is increasing.

Opinions are divided on a comeback of the measures to avoid an escalating fall wave.

Vienna – Summer is over and the autumn wave predicted for the corona pandemic seems to have arrived in Europe.

While the Oktoberfest in Munich was identified as a potential superspreader event, Austria is also hit by a large number of new infections every day.

The capital Vienna is therefore considering tightening the measures.

Austria: Infection high for corona infections expected - strong increase in a few days

Almost 2,000 people are currently being treated in Austrian hospitals for a corona infection.

The number of patients rose from 1,697 (October 3rd) to 1,985 (October 4th) within one day, as the Austrian dashboard on Covid-19 shows.

, an average of 2,287 cases requiring treatment are expected

by Wednesday (October 12) . Seven days later, an average of 2,696 patients should be possible.

The highest conceivable figure is 3,428 cases as of Oct. 19, which would surpass the peak of nationwide infection-related hospitalizations in 2021 (2,767) by 661 cases.

Austria: Corona virus is thinning out clinic staff – politicians are discussing measures

On the one hand, the corona infections - in contrast to earlier high phases of the pandemic - are currently largely incidental findings, so that according to

"Covid sufferers compete to a lesser extent with standard care".

However, the virus does not stop at the clinic staff either;

The result is losses of more than six percent on average across the country.

The current “Wiesn wave” in Munich also shows how strongly a wave of infections can affect hospital operations.

In view of the situation in Germany's neighboring country, Austrian politicians are asking to what extent it is appropriate to resume measures to prevent infection.

, Vienna is already discussing an extension of the mask requirement;

So far, stricter rules have applied in the capital anyway, for example a mask requirement in public transport – this is also expected in some parts of Bavaria.

Nationwide, tightening in Austria is not to be expected.

Austria: Federal Minister of Health Rauch is reluctant - "Situation good, 'manageable'"

In this context, the SPÖ accused the government of “stumbling into the autumn wave” “for the third time” and dubbed the Federal Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) as “minister of danger”.

Rauch, on the other hand, rejected the reintroduction of infection-preventing measures.

Last but not least, the existence of effective medication makes the situation incomparable to that of previous years.

also read

Royal quake in Denmark: Prince family loses title - now Queen Margrethe II

Did you know?

Even the audience joker doesn't help with the hardware store question "Who wants to be a millionaire?"

, on the fringes of a press conference (October 4th), Rauch

was only open to the obligation to wear a mask;

so far, however, it has only been “hip” indoors with many people to wear a mask;

According to the minister on Wednesday (October 5th), the situation to date is "easily 'handleable'".

They have a “broad system of observation” for the development of the corona virus and are ready to act on “the intensive advice” from the experts that “you have to react now”.