Up until this point, each of Austria’s nine states has been primarily focused on vaccinating people in high-risk groups, i.e. those with medical conditions or advanced age. 

However Lower Austria will over the next two weeks gradually relax restrictions on vaccinations. 

OE24 reported on Wednesday that from May 3rd, registration for 326,000 appointments will be released up until the end of June.

The age will be lowered to 50 from May 3rd onwards, before making appointments available for those over 40 from May 5th. 

From May 7th, people over the age of 30 can make reservations, before appointments will be opened up to everyone over the age of 16 on May 10th. 

The appointments themselves will be available from mid-May onwards. 

As at April 28th, Lower Austria sits in the middle of the pack when it comes to coronavirus vaccinations in an Austrian state comparison, with 24.6 percent of the population receiving one shot. 

Tyrol is the national leader with 28.1 percent of the population receiving one shot, followed by Burgenland with 27.8 percent.

Salzburg, with 20.54 percent of the population having had one shot, is the slowest of the Austrian states.  

Lower Austria is the country’s second most populous state after Vienna, with 1.6 million residents.