Five million first-time vaccinations are to be carried out in Austria by the end of June. However, the provinces cannot guarantee first-time vaccinations for all those willing to be vaccinated by the end of June.
At the beginning of April, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) assured that all Austrians willing to be vaccinated should receive the first vaccination by the end of June. Now the government is talking about five million initial vaccinations by the end of the month. This was justified by the fact that the willingness to vaccinate has increased and the age group of the vaccinatable population has been lowered to twelve years and that pregnant women can now also be immunized.
By the end of June, five million people should receive the first sting, Kurz and Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein (Greens) confirmed at a press conference last week. “Vaccine is sufficiently available” and “everything is now being processed according to schedule,” Kurz said.
Number of those willing to be vaccinated increased
So far, 3.63 million Austrians have been vaccinated. To reach the five million by the end of the month, 1.37 million people are therefore still missing. This means that more than 45,600 initial vaccinations need to be carried out every day. On average, states administered just over 35,000 first vaccinations per day last week (including Johnson & Johnson). Currently, more second vaccinations are due again, leaving less vaccine for first vaccinations.
Kurz stressed at the press conference that initially it was expected that just five million people would want to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. “In the meantime, we assume that around 500,000 more people will be vaccinated,” he said. These are to be vaccinated “quickly in July.” The Biontech/Pfizer vaccine can also be used to immunize children as young as 12. Thus, more than 7.90 million Austrians could be vaccinated. The 5.5 million people would result in a vaccination coverage rate of 69.6 percent.
Adolescents to be vaccinated in summer
Mückstein announced that children and adolescents aged twelve and older will also be vaccinated in July and August before school starts again in September. Austria is expected to receive nine million vaccine doses by the end of July. This would ensure “that everyone who wants a vaccination will get one,” the health minister affirmed.
sources: vienna.at/APA/picture: pixabay.com
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