In the last 24 hours, more than 1,200 Corona cases were registered. Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein expects even higher numbers.
The corona virus simply does not admit defeat in Austria. Thus, a total of 1,221 new infections were reported in the last 24 hours. The number of new infections has been rising for days. And according to Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein, Corona numbers are likely to get even higher in the coming weeks and months.
“We are at the beginning of the fourth wave and I expect numbers to continue to rise especially in the colder season. This shows us that we need to push the vaccination pace properly now. In any case, we are very well prepared for the fall. And with the vaccination and the low-threshold test offer, we have completely different possibilities this year than last year”, says Health Minister Mückstein to “Heute”.
Meanwhile, more than 60 percent of the total population has already received their first Corona vaccination, he said. “There is some progress, but more and faster would of course always be preferable to me as a doctor and health minister. No question about it.” But with infection rates currently on the rise, he said the ultimate goal must be to “increase vaccination coverage through education and persuasion.”
“That’s why I put another personal vaccination appeal video online on Wednesday and made an effort to get it across in Hungarian, Polish, Arabic, Farsi and English as flawlessly as possible. The idea behind it is to reach as many people as possible and motivate them to vaccinate,” the health minister explained to the interview conducted by “Heute” newspaper.”
Asked whether “privileges” for vaccinated people are still conceivable, Mückstein replied: “The path goes from 3G to 2G and 1G and the goal is no G, then the pandemic is over. In that sense, I want to talk about 1G as an access rule in view of the fall. But at this very moment, it’s too early for me to implement it.”
According to the Minister of Health, this is a “sensitive issue”. It is now necessary to increase the vaccination rate and at the same time avoid a split in society, he said. “Since the summer, there has been the opportunity for everyone to be vaccinated – now we must also give people in Austria the chance and sufficient time to get the 2nd sting,” Mückstein told “Heute.”
For this reason, and because the infection figures are still within a reasonable range in view of the vaccination coverage already achieved, I have said that such measures are currently too early for me. If necessary, however, in the course of the fall are certainly an option.
- source: heite.at/picture: pixabay.com
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