Covid today Austria, incidence rises: towards unvaccinated lockdowns

“It is now clear that winter and Christmas will not be comfortable for those who are not vaccinated.” This is what the Austrian prime minister, Alexander Schallenberg, speaks in a further sign that the government is moving towards lockdown measures for those who have not been vaccinated against covid-19. In the last 24 hours, Austria has recorded a record of 11,975 infections. The seven-day incidence has now risen to 751 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, three times more than Germany which is already in difficulty. Shallenberg called the vaccination rate in Austria at 65% of the population “shamefully low”. Given the growth in infections, in a few days the unvaccinated could be subjected to strict measures, continued the premier, urging everyone to immunize as soon as possible.The federal government, regional authorities and experts will meet tomorrow to establish the new measures. A previous attempt by Health Minister Wolfgang Mueckstein to impose a lockdown for the unvaccinated, at least in the most contagious regions of Upper Austria and Salzburg, was blocked by local resistance. But the situation in hospitals is worsening, with doctors and nurses calling for more incisive measures.