Despite a majority of Austrians having had at least one jab of the Covid vaccine, some people still harbour concerns about the safety of the vaccine. 

Austria administers four vaccines – those made by Pfizer/Biontech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson and Johnson. 

New statistics highlight the prevalence of side effects for those who have been vaccinated in Austria. 

READ MORE: What is the risk of catching Covid-19 in Austria when already vaccinated?

The statistics have been compiled by Federal Office for Safety in Health Care (BASG), who regularly put together statistics on the impacts of various types of vaccines including those for Covid. 

How safe are the vaccines being administered in Austria for Covid-19?

The statistics show that while side effects do occur, they are comparatively rare. 

As at August 20th, 5,422,000 people – which is roughly 60 percent of the population – have had at least one shot. 

5,084,000 have been fully vaccinated, or roughly 57 percent of the population. 

Of those, there have been 35,632 reported instances of side effects, which is 0.65 percent of those who have received the shot. 

This is however difficult to properly quantify, because these are only reported side effects and a connection to the vaccine has not been established or proven. 

These side effects include headaches, tiredness, pain in the arm where the vaccination was, fever and joint pain. 

Of the 35,632 cases, 197 were deemed ‘life threatening’ by doctors. 97 of those cases have fully recovered, while 100 of them are still being treated or have not been updated due to administrative reasons. 

Two thirds of those who expressed side effects were women. 

How many people have died in relation to the Covid vaccines in Austria? 

Anyone who dies “in close proximity” to having taken the vaccine is registered as a possibly suspected case. 

So far, 138 people have died in close proximity to having taken the vaccine, which is 0.0025 percent of those who have had the shot. 

Only one of those however has been confirmed as being due to the vaccine – a 49-year-old woman who died with coagulation issues. 

Of the rest of the deaths, 34 had previous illnesses which are deemed the likely cause of death, while 20 were already infected with Covid when they were given the vaccine and as such died as a result of the illness. 

A Covid-link was ruled out in four patients who had an autopsy. 

Investigations are continuing into the 79 other cases.