Austria's Covid Cases: Tracking The Numbers

Austria has seen a number of cases of measles, malaria, and COVID-19. In 2018, there were 77 cases of measles, and in 2015, there were 309. Austria has also seen a significant influx of migrants and refugees, with a maximum of 88,340 asylum applications in 2015. This, along with increased international mobility, altered travel behaviour, and migration movements, may have contributed to the rise in malaria cases. Austria has also been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a surge in cases in November 2021 leading to the re-imposition of lockdown restrictions for unvaccinated individuals.

Measles cases in Austria

In 2017, there was another measles outbreak in Austria, with a total of 150 cases reported from 2009 to 2017, and a median annual incidence rate of 1.4 cases per 100,000 population.

More recently, between 1 January and 11 March 2019, 59 measles cases were reported in Austria, with 47 of these fulfilling the cluster case definition. Out of these 47 cases, 40 (85.1%) were unvaccinated.

COVID-19 cases in Austria

As of 21 April 2020, Austria had 14,810 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 455 deaths. By mid-November 2021, Austria was recording more than 10,000 new cases daily, with hospitals overwhelmed and deaths rising. This led to a national lockdown, initially lasting 10 days, with a maximum extension of 20 days if cases did not fall sufficiently.

The Alpine nation recorded 11,975 new cases in 24 hours on Thursday 11 November 2021, with 760.6 cases per 100,000 people over the previous seven days. This was a rate three times higher than neighbouring Germany.

The number of new COVID-19 infections per day in Austria peaked on 26 March 2020, one month after the first confirmed case, and steadily decreased from then on. However, a recent article about the time course of COVID-19 in Austria pointed out that at the beginning of the Austrian epidemic, many cases were imported and, therefore, did not have infectious contacts in Austria, which would result in an overestimation of R0.

Malaria cases in Austria

Although malaria is not endemic to Austria, between 1990 and 2000, 924 travel-related malaria cases were reported (a mean of 84 per year). No significant decreasing or increasing trends were observed. P. falciparum accounted for the highest number of cases (55.9%), followed by P. vivax or ovale (34.7%) and P. malariae (2.2%). Most infections were contracted in highly endemic malaria regions (74.2%) and most cases were reported from the largest counties: Vienna (36.4%), Styria (16.8%), and Lower Austria (16.3%). Overall, 12 deaths occurred, most of which were caused by P. falciparum (75%).

According to data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), from 2014 to 2018 there were between 7831 and 8427 annually reported malaria cases within the European Union. A significant part of imported malaria cases in Europe occur in the group of visiting friends and relatives (VFRs), who are often not aware that they have lost their semi-immunity by living in Europe and thus have a lower risk perception.

A study of malaria cases diagnosed at an Austrian institute for tropical medicine between 2010 and 2020 found that overall, 122 cases were identified. Annual case numbers were consistently higher from 2016 to 2020 than during the first half of the decade.

Austria's COVID-19 vaccination rate

Austria has had a high number of coronavirus cases, with 760.6 reported new cases per 100,000 residents over a seven-day period in November 2021. This was three times the rate of neighbouring Germany. Austria's vaccination rate has been described as "shamefully low" by the country's chancellor, Alexander Schallenberg.

In February 2022, Austria's parliament approved a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, requiring adults aged 18 and over to be fully vaccinated. At the time, about 69% of Austria's population was fully vaccinated against COVID-19, one of the lowest rates in western Europe. The mandate was expected to be carried out in phases, with police verifying the vaccination status of people they stop in their regular patrols from 15 March.

Austria's low vaccination rate has been attributed to scepticism about vaccinations, a view encouraged by the far-right Freedom Party. The country has also experienced a sharp rise in COVID-19 infections due to the spread of the Delta and Omicron variants, leading to the tightening of restrictions, including mask mandates and proof of vaccination or a negative test result for certain businesses.

Austria's coronavirus cases compared to Germany

Austria's coronavirus cases have been compared to Germany's, with the former reporting a much higher rate of infection. In November 2021, Austria reported 760.6 new cases per 100,000 residents over the previous seven days, a rate three times that of neighbouring Germany. However, Germany has also seen a record number of cases, with an average of 6,641 cases per day reported in the country in the first week of March 2023.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Germany has reported a total of 38,249,060 cases and 168,935 deaths. In July 2021, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 671 to 3,730,353, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases. In November 2021, Germany reported 15,809 new infections, an all-time high.

Austria's vaccination rate has been described as "shamefully low" by Mr Schallenberg, and many Austrians are sceptical about vaccinations, a view encouraged by the far-right Freedom Party, the third-biggest in parliament.

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