Corona traffic light: Commission expects increase at the turn of the year

by time news

Politicians and virologists are expecting a new wave of infections with the new omicron variant of the coronavirus. The trend is still falling in all federal states, but the peak of the last wave could be exceeded in the next few weeks.

The Omikron variant could take command in the coming week and lead to increasing case numbers again around the turn of the year. According to the broadcast, the Corona Commission assumed this at its meeting today. For the time being, the situation is more relaxed than it has been for a long time. Burgenland was switched to “yellow” at the traffic lights, which means only medium risk. In addition to Vienna, Lower Austria, Styria, Salzburg and the entire state are orange.

This means that, according to the current figures, only just under Upper Austria and Carinthia and clearly Tyrol and Vorarlberg would meet the criteria for classification in the red zone of very high risk. The decisive factor for this is the risk figure, which takes into account not only new infections but also the age of those affected and vaccination status. Under 50 you are in the yellow area, which Burgenland manages with 45.9. The orange zone of high risk, in which Vienna now receives new company, goes up to 100, and above this the high risk sector begins. Vorarlberg has the worst value with 212.6. Tirol is not much better at 195.

Downward trend

The trend is still falling in all federal states and that is clear. In all districts, too, the number of cases went down in the past two weeks and practically everywhere in the double-digit percentage range. As far as the raw seven-day case number is concerned, six districts in Burgenland as well as Murau and Korneuburg have now reached the previously magical 100 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants. Relatively few (detected) new infections were in Eisenstadt-Stadt. Still very high, if you consider the imminent arrival of the Omikron wave, the incidence in Vorarlberg is just under 346.

There is not much testing going on in the “Ländle”. With 45,000 tests per 100,000 inhabitants, this is the second lowest value after Tyrol. For comparison: In Vienna, over 119,000 tests were carried out on 100,000 residents. However, unlike in the past few weeks, not so many asymptomatic diseases were discovered in the federal capital. With a share of 37 percent, they are still at the top, but on a par with Burgenland and just ahead of Lower Austria. As far as the clarification of the cases is concerned, the origin of 58 percent of the infections nationwide could be clarified. Only Vorarlberg with 41 percent has a significantly below average value. In the “Ländle”, the greatest systemic risk is still assumed to be in the intensive care units.

The traffic light commission warns that due to the fourth wave of epidemics, the levels of floor coverings in intensive care and normal wards are still showing a high level of exposure, which is slowly reducing, so that renewed heavy entrances “could not be managed without supply restrictions”. Overloading the health system is “a realistic risk”.

Based on the deliberations at today’s meeting of the commission, it can be assumed that the Omikron variant could become the dominant one in Austria in the coming week. Simulations showed that the number of cases at the peak of the last wave (around 15,000 cases) could soon occur. However, the effects on the hospitals remained unclear. Regardless of this, the last restrictions decided by politicians are supported.

(WHAT)

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