High infection figures – flu wave rolls over Vienna

Spread the love

Read Time:1 Minute, 47 Second

Many Viennese are still on sick leave. The ÖGK figures show that flu-like infections are particularly responsible for this.

Many Viennese are still at home instead of at work. The reason for this is still the high number of sick days. The flu, Covid-19, and flu-like infections confined many ill people to their beds. Figures from the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK) show how many people could not work in the past calendar week.

The number of flu-like infections in particular is high this year: in calendar week 46, 21,294 people in Vienna reported sick for this reason, which is 1,629 more than in the previous week. At the same time last year, however, significantly more people were affected, namely 23,678. The real flu is also circulating, but significantly fewer Viennese are affected by it than by flu-like infections. The ÖGK reports 155 infected people, 20 more than the previous week. The number of flu cases is also similar in 2023.

COVID-19 is again responsible for slightly more sick days. In calendar week 45, 1,482 people fell ill with coronavirus, and 1,307 in the following week. In the previous year, the figures were over four times higher in some cases. According to ÖGK, 70,474 ÖGK-insured employees and unemployment benefit recipients are currently on sick leave.

“Sick leave due to flu-like infections and real flu is rising again. A real flu is not a simple cold but a serious illness. A flu vaccination protects you. Chronically ill people, people aged 60 and over and pregnant women in particular should be vaccinated, as they are at increased risk of serious consequences. As the flu vaccination is being offered free of charge to everyone living in Austria for the first time, this opportunity should be taken advantage of. Lists of vaccination centres are published on the websites of the federal government and the ÖGK. The telephone hotline 1450 can also help, as can the ÖGK flu vaccination hotline,” emphasizes Dr. Andreas Krauter, Chief Physician of the Austrian Health Insurance Fund.