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HEALTH

Covid in Austria: Should you get vaccinated this year?

Austrian health experts have warned of a new COVID wave this autumn, but a vaccine adapted to the most recent variant is already available. Here's what you need to know.

Published: 25 July 2024 11:02 CEST
Covid in Austria: Should you get vaccinated this year?
An employee prepares a dose of Covid-19 vaccine . (Photo by Pascal POCHARD-CASABIANCA / AFP)

Austrian health experts have warned that wastewater analyses show rising rates of COVID-19 infections already this summer.

It’s too early to talk about a wave of infections, but the trend is clearly upward, Austrian media reported. With that in mind, should you get vaccinated, and when?

Austria’s official recommendations 

The Austrian National Immunization Committee (NIG) generally recommends an annual vaccination (similar to the flu shots) for everyone over the age of 12. However, the vaccination is strongly recommended for certain risk groups. 

These are people aged 60 and over, healthcare staff and people with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), chronic heart and kidney problems, people with trisomy 21 and people with immunodeficiencies or immunosuppressive therapy, HIV infection, organ or bone marrow transplants and autoimmune diseases. 

READ ALSO: Are vaccinations compulsory for children in Austria?

The Austrian vaccination plan also mentions “persons with intellectual or physical disabilities in and outside of care facilities”.

A single vaccination is sufficient; it is free of charge for everyone. At least six, ideally twelve months, should have passed since the last vaccination or infection. Only in certain risk groups (people over 60 and patients with pre-existing severe conditions) can it make sense to be vaccinated after just four months – always after consulting a doctor. 

However, a minimum interval of four months should be observed in each case. In other words, anyone last vaccinated or tested positive more than twelve months ago can get a booster in Austria.

On individual request, babies aged six months can also be vaccinated. If they have not yet been vaccinated or tested positive, the age group six months to five years requires three doses of basic immunisation (a low dose tailored to small children). If they have (no matter how often), one dose is sufficient. 

One dose is sufficient for children aged six to twelve, regardless of previous vaccinations or infections. 

When should I get vaccinated?

Waiting a few more weeks to get vaccinated towards the end of the summer vacation is recommended. This is because the expected autumn wave will likely pick up pace then. 

The current vaccine is effective around seven to twelve days after the shot, but the antibodies usually disappear again after around three months. 

So, if you are vaccinated again at the end of August, you will increase your protection against infection from around one week after administration until November. 

READ ALSO: What is Austria’s tick vaccine, and should you take it?

Which vaccine is Austria administering?

The vaccine used is the vaccine from Biontech/Pfizer (a so-called mRNA vaccine, which also falls into the category of inactivated vaccines), which has been adapted against the most recently dominant variant, JN.1 (from the Omikron family).

Vaccinations are given at vaccination centres (in Vienna at the TownTown vaccination centre in the third district), at health centres of the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK), and at selected general practitioners in private practice. More information about vaccination centres can be found on the health hotline 1450 and the Medical Association’s website: www.aerztekammer.at.

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HEALTH

Experts in Austria urge early Covid vaccination as new variant spreads

A more contagious variant of the coronavirus has been spreading across Austria since June, leading to a steady increase in infection rates even before the new school year begins.

Published: 30 August 2024 10:10 CEST
Experts in Austria urge early Covid vaccination as new variant spreads

The rising incidence of Covid cases has prompted health experts to recommend that vaccinations be administered earlier than previously advised. 

In addition, a newly adapted protein-based vaccine may become available this autumn, offering further protection against the virus.

Experts urge vaccination ahead of new school year and autumn

According to virologist Judith Aberle from the Medical University of Vienna, the national Sentinel system, which monitors respiratory viruses, has shown a marked increase in viral activity throughout Austria in recent weeks. 

In an interview with ORF Wissen, Aberle noted that most of these cases are linked to the SARS coronavirus, which has been circulating more frequently since June. In regions such as Upper Austria and Lower Austria, one in four samples tested has returned positive for SARS-CoV-2, a trend corroborated by wastewater monitoring data.

The variant currently dominating the European infection landscape, including Austria, is KP.3, a member of the Omicron family. This variant produces symptoms similar to its predecessors, such as cold-like symptoms, sore throat, headaches, fatigue, cough, and fever. 

READ ALSO: Covid in Austria – Should you get vaccinated this year?

However, Aberle warns that KP.3 is far from benign, as it can lead to severe complications, particularly in high-risk individuals, affecting the lungs, heart, blood vessels, and nervous system.

“And the infection can lead to chronic long-term consequences in the form of long Covid”, she added while at the same time recommending people get vaccinated.

Maria Paulke-Korinek, head of the vaccination department at the Ministry of Health, echoed these concerns, stressing the heightened risk of infection as schools reopen and people spend more time indoors. 

Speaking on the Ö1-Morgenjournal, Paulke-Korinek advised at-risk individuals to get vaccinated “within the next few weeks”. While otherwise, healthy individuals might delay their vaccination slightly, she recommended that the interval between the last infection or vaccination and the next dose be around twelve months, with a minimum of four months for those who got seriously ill.

What are the vaccine recommendations?

Vaccination is recommended for everyone aged 12 and above, with younger children eligible upon parental request. 

Paulke-Korinek emphasised that the vaccine is approved for children as young as six months, and European authorities have confirmed its safety and effectiveness. Since the end of July, a newly adapted mRNA vaccine, effective against the KP.3 variant, has been available in Austria. 

READ ALSO: Are vaccinations compulsory for children in Austria?

Additionally, an adapted protein vaccine, which includes a synthetically produced protein component from the SARS coronavirus spike protein, is expected to be available in the autumn, pending approval by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). 

Paulke-Korinek noted that both vaccines show comparable effectiveness but suggested that alternating between the two might offer immunological benefits.

As the new school year begins in eastern Austria next week, Aberle from MedUni Vienna stressed the importance of closely monitoring infection rates to track the virus’s development. 

She also urged good ventilation or air filtration in indoor spaces, particularly in schools and nurseries, and recommended wearing masks and staying home if symptomatic to help curb the spread of the virus.

READ NEXT: Who should get vaccinated against mpox in Austria?

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