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COVID-19 STATS

How Covid absences are disrupting Austrian hospitals, schools and transport

As people self-isolate or quarantine due to the coronavirus, essential services suffer with staff shortages.

Published: 23 March 2022 16:21 CET
A health worker prepares a coronavirus antigen rapid test at the new coronavirus test center in the Orangery of the Schoenbrunn Palace. (Photo by ALEX HALADA / AFP)
A health worker prepares a coronavirus antigen rapid test at the coronavirus test center in the Orangery of the Schönbrunn Palace. Photo by ALEX HALADA / AFP.

Austria this Wednesday recorded 53,071 new cases of coronavirus infections.

There are currently more than 430,000 active cases in the country, meaning that almost half a million people are self-isolating or hospitalised due to the virus.

A number of close contacts, or people who have symptoms, are also considered suspected cases and need to quarantine at home, waiting for the results of a PCR test. And people may also need to stay at home when they are the caretaker of those who are sick.

Health authorities in the alpine country have consistently reiterated that despite rising numbers, the situation in hospitals and intensive care units is not concerning.

Moreover, with the population mostly vaccinated, cases have been less severe.

Currently, 3,266 are hospitalised with the virus, and 227 are treated in intensive care. But the sheer number of new infections, more than 50,000 every day, has started affecting Austrian essential services.

READ ALSO: Covid-19: What to do if you test positive in Austria

Hospital shortages

In hospitals, the effects have brought health institutions to their limits.

In Salzburg state clinics, the situation was exacerbated by many patients needing to receive medical care after ski accidents, Der Standard reported.

Some clinics, including Schwarzach, had decided to postpone planned operations, as 80 of the 1,500 employees were in quarantine. Likewise, Barmherzigen Brüder hospital closed beds due to staff shortages.

In Tirol, the number of sick leave had doubled due to the omicron wave, spokesman Johannes Schwamberger told the daily. He added that many people need to stay at home to care for sick children. The hospital board has started expecting these parents to fall ill a few days later.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Austria’s new Covid-19 testing rules

The same has been happening in Styria, where non-urgent procedures have been postponed due to the lack of staff and other states in Austria. In the capital Vienna, Health Secretary Peter Hacker (SPÖ) said last Friday that 10 percent of the hospital staff were on sick leave, around half of them due to corona.

Public transport and schools also affected

The shortages also have strained services such as public transport throughout Austria.

In Vienna, the city’s public transport operator Wiener Linien this Wednesday announced that the interval for several tram lines would be adjusted to accommodate staff shortages.

Starting Monday, tram lines 1, 5, 10, 33, 37, 42, 44, and 52 would be operating on a limited timetable similar to the holiday plans. There are no estimated dates for the resumption of regular operation.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: What are Austria’s current Covid rules?

In Graz, cases of Covid among staff have also led the city line to make changes to the timetables. Starting Thursday, 24, a new schedule, based on holiday times, but with a focus on hospital and school lines, will be adopted.

“This is required due to corona-related staff shortages”, the company that runs public transport in the city, Graz Holding, said.

Schools have also suffered from staff shortages, with many having to improvise, Die Presse reported. For example, a school in Wels, with 30 teachers, saw 10 of them having to stay at home, primarily due to contracting Covid themselves.

Record number of cases

Austria has been reaching record numbers of new cases consistently in the last few weeks, and some measures have already been taken to try and halt the virus.

Last week, the federal government said it would reintroduce mandatory FFP2 masks for indoor areas.

To face the issue of staff shortages, especially in essential sectors such as health care, Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) also said special quarantine rules and regulations were being devised. However, he didn’t give much detail.

READ ALSO: Almost 60,000: Austria hits record daily Covid case total

New regulations are expected to be introduced stating that infected personnel in the health sector may work under certain conditions, though the specific rules would be up to the states.

Useful vocabulary

Personalengpass – personnel shortage
Belastungsgrenze – limit
Gesundheitspersonal – health personnel
Straßenbahnbetrieb – tram operation
​​Ferienfahrplan – holiday schedule

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COVID-19 STATS

UPDATED: Will Austria bring back face mask mandate to battle rising Covid cases?

As the number of Covid-19 infections and related hospitalisations rises in Austria, many are asking for new measures to be adopted, especially a mask mandate.

Published: 6 October 2022 11:45 CEST
Updated: 11 October 2022 09:14 CEST
UPDATED: Will Austria bring back face mask mandate to battle rising Covid cases?

Austria has seen an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases and hospitalisations in recent weeks, with 2,428 people currently hospitalised with the disease, including 118 in intensive care (ICU).

One month ago, just 871 people were being treated in hospital with an additional 47 people in ICU.

The Austrian Federal Government has now said they will make a decision on bringing back the mask mandate by October 23rd. Last week, the National Covid Crisis Coordination (GECKO) recommended wearing FFP2 masks.

According to ORF, the mask mandate could return for public indoor spaces, public transport and in the gastronomy sector. The Austrian Trade Association has already rejected the suggestion saying it would be the “last straw” for employees as the industry struggles with staff shortages.

What are the Covid-19 experts predicting for the autumn and winter season?

The latest report from the Covid prognosis consortium in Austria predicts a rise in hospitalisations in October. 

In a “worst case” scenario, as many as 3,428 people who tested positive would need a hospital bed on October 19th, the latest forecast said. A “further significant increase in hospitalisation is to be expected, with the Covid population in the ICU area remaining almost unchanged”, the experts summarised.

READ ALSO: Reader question: When should I get a fourth dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in Austria?

In comparison, last autumn, the country was on an Austria-wide lockdown and on November 28th, there were 2,767 infected persons hospitalised.

However, the experts said there is a very high proportion of incidental findings among hospitalised patients. Only around 22 percent of those presently hospitalised were admitted with Covid-19 symptoms. In the intensive care unit, this proportion was only 12 percent – most people go to the hospital for other reasons and find they test positive for the coronavirus.

Calls for pandemic-containment measures

Still, the consortium warned about staff shortages in hospitals. “The increased infection pressure is currently also translating into above-average unplanned staff absences”, it wrote.

READ ALSO: From inflation to Covid: What to expect from Austria’s winter season

In view of the situation in the hospitals, experts are calling for the reintroduction of mandatory masks.

Virologist Dorothee von Laer from the Medical University of Innsbruck criticised the government, saying authorities were once again “too late” to take measures.

“We are now at the last push to reintroduce compulsory masks indoors so that the omicron wave from spring is not repeated,” the virologist told Kurier.

“How much longer to watch Covid go through the roof? Winter is still long, and hospitals are getting crowded with decreasing staff and increasing occupancy. Mask up! #CovidIsntOver,” Thomas Czypionka, Head of IHS Health Economics and Health Policy of the Institute for Advanced Studies (IHS), said on Twitter.

Currently, people in Austria only need to wear masks in the health sector area, such as in hospitals and elderly care homes. However, the capital Vienna has stricter rules, imposing a mask mandate on public transport.

Only in a ‘state of emergency’

Speaking to public broadcaster ORF, Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) ruled out the immediate introduction of a mask mandate.

He said stricter rules would only be imposed if the situation in hospitals “escalates, becomes threatening, and a state of emergency occurs”.

READ ALSO: LATEST: The Covid rules across Austria

At the same time, he reiterated that the pandemic is not over and that when the government removed the mask mandate, it also announced the rules could be brought back in autumn.

“When the mask requirement was abolished in grocery stores and public transport in the spring, I already said: If it should become necessary again in the autumn, the general mask requirement will be reintroduced there”, he said.

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