Austria back to normal after three Corona years

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Three years after the first cases of the corona, Austria is back to normal, and the health ministry was preparing to return to regular operations, it said in a statement Friday. 5.9 million infections have been reported, 21,800 people have died, more than 20 million vaccinations have been administered, and about 90,000 Covid-19 drugs have been dispensed. A new epidemic law and pandemic plan should prepare for future health crises.

The Corona pandemic would have been the largest challenge the domestic healthcare system ever faced. On February 25, 2020, the first two cases were detected in Austria. A few weeks later, the entire world was in an emergency.

While there were few ways to fight the virus initially, highly effective Corona vaccines and Covid-19 drugs are now available. According to the Ministry of Health, these have prevented many more deaths and serious illnesses.

In the past 36 months, 289 regulations were issued by the Ministry of Health alone. In addition, 44 laws have been redrafted or amended. Crucial to overcoming the crisis would have been the expertise of the scientific community and international cooperation within the European Union. As a result, the first vaccination could be administered after only about a year. Three-quarters of the population have received at least one vaccination, and 56 percent are considered to have basic immunization.

“Thanks to the tireless work of the scientific community and all health care workers, we have managed the crisis well. Three years after the start of the pandemic, we can now return to normality step by step,” said Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens). He expressed special thanks to all healthcare workers. “They have done an almost unbelievable job over the past three years.”

With the gradual transition to normal operations by June 30, 2023, vaccinations, Covid-19 drug delivery and testing of symptomatic individuals would be integrated into the regular structures of the healthcare system. Says Rauch, “Corona virus is here to stay.”