Expert expects tightening in autumn

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Top virologist Norbert Nowotny expresses his views on the coronavirus situation in Austria in a Puls24 talk. In the talk with Anchor Jakob Wirl, the expert explains that Austria is already in the fourth wave. “The numbers will continue to rise the closer it gets to fall. We can assume that,” he ventures a less than optimistic forecast. Because in the area of new daily infections and the 7-day incidence, there will be further rising figures in the future, he says.

But what is essentially at stake is the overloading of hospitals. So, he said, you have to pay attention to the number of hospitalized people and those who need intensive care. “Unfortunately, these numbers are already on the rise, which was also to be expected,” Nowotny says, hardly surprised by the current developments. In the past, there has always been a lag effect between rising numbers of newly infected patients and hospitalizations.

“It is assumed that due to this vaccination coverage rate of 55 percent of fully immunized people, we will see significantly fewer people who need hospital treatment,” the virologist explains. He expects to see only about a quarter of the numbers seen in previous waves.

Nowotny does not believe that the hospitals will face a similar burden this fall as they did last year. One guarantee of success, he says, is the regional measures that have been very successful in Austria. In a recent example, Nowotny points to East Tyrol. “This will enable us to intercept a great many clusters in Austria.” Such clusters will occur again and again in the coming weeks, he said, so regional tightening is conceivable and possible.

Addressing the “3G rule,” Nowotny states that it is still up-to-date, but that “adaptations” are necessary. The virologist is convinced that the “2G” rule in night catering (vaccinated or PCR-tested) is already on the safer side. For Nowotny, it is understandable that those who have recovered are not included. Because here there is a large range, because: People who have only caught a mild course will only be protected for a short time due to the low number of antibodies. That is why it is important for these people to be vaccinated as well. This sting would have the function of a “booster vaccination”.

Currently, there is no limit to the number of spectators at (large) events. But a capacity limit of about 75 or 50 percent could become a reality again in the fall, Nowotny is sure. “But here, too, it will be possible to take a regional approach.