Austria's Covid Crisis: Navigating The Pandemic's Impact

Austria has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, the Austrian ski resort of Ischgl became the centre of Europe's COVID-19 outbreak. Thousands of tourists, including Nigel Mallender from the UK, were forced to evacuate the Paznaun valley when the entire area was placed under quarantine. Mallender later ended up in hospital with COVID-19.

In November 2021, Austria's infection rate stood at 635 new cases per 100,000 residents over seven days—over three times the level in neighbouring Germany. In response, the Austrian government introduced new rules barring unvaccinated people from bars, pubs, restaurants, hotels, hairdressing salons, and large public events. A brothel in Vienna even began offering COVID-19 vaccinations to its clientele, providing 30 minutes of free entry to its sauna club to anyone who got jabbed on-site.

In January 2022, Austria imposed tougher COVID-19 measures to curb the spread of the Omicron variant. These included the compulsory wearing of FFP2 masks outdoors, working from home, and providing proof of vaccination or recovery to enter trade businesses, restaurants, and cafes.

The psychological impact of COVID-19 on the Austrian population

COVID-19 has posed an unprecedented challenge to the world since the Second World War. The pandemic has forced governments to implement strict measures to curb the spread of the virus, which may have imposed a psychological burden on the population.

Mental Health Status of the Austrian Population

An anonymous online survey conducted from March 25 to April 3, 2020, assessed the psychological impact of the pandemic on Austrians aged 16 and above. The survey evaluated physical and mental health, knowledge and concerns about COVID-19, contact with infected individuals, prevention efforts, and the need for further information.

The results revealed that:

• 43.3% of participants rated the psychological impact as moderate (5.6%) or severe (37.7%).
• 26.5% reported moderate (13.3%) to severe (13.2%) depression.
• 20.3% reported moderate (8.9%) to severe (11.4%) anxiety.
• 21.2% reported moderate (10.5%) or severe (10.7%) stress.

Factors Associated with Higher Psychological Burden

The survey identified several factors associated with a higher psychological burden:

• Being female
• Higher age
• Lower levels of education
• Concern about family members
• Using the internet as the main source of information
• Student or pupil status
• Poor self-rated health
• Downplaying the seriousness of the pandemic

Protective Factors

On the other hand, the following factors were found to be protective against psychological distress:

• The possibility of working from home
• Frequent indirect contact with family or friends
• Availability of virus-specific information
• Confidence in the diagnosis and treatment capabilities
• Engaging in physical activity during the crisis

Mental Health of Austrian Psychotherapists

Interestingly, a study comparing the mental health of Austrian psychotherapists with that of the general population during the pandemic found that psychotherapists experienced better mental health. They had lower odds of exceeding cut-offs for clinically relevant depressive, anxiety, insomnia, and stress symptoms compared to the general population. However, a significant proportion of psychotherapists still experienced these issues, highlighting the need for self-care and support.

The effects of COVID-19 on mental health in Austria

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health of Austrian adolescents, with studies showing a continuous decline in mental health since the beginning of the pandemic. This decline has been more pronounced in girls, with almost two-thirds of girls exhibiting signs of clinical depression and 24% having frequent suicidal ideations.

Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health

Austrian students experienced multiple episodes of school closures and distance learning during the pandemic, resulting in reduced social contacts and daily structure, which are important protective factors for mental health. This led to increased stress and a decline in well-being, with a meta-analysis showing a global prevalence of 25% for depression and 20% for anxiety symptoms among children and adolescents.

Gender Differences

Girls appear to be more affected by the pandemic, with a higher prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms, sleep-related problems, and suicidal thoughts. This may be due to their greater reliance on social networks for emotional support, which was disrupted by COVID-19 restrictions. However, it's important to note that most social distancing restrictions were lifted by spring 2022, and mental health did not show significant improvement.

Factors Influencing Mental Health

Excessive smartphone use, which increased during the pandemic, is associated with negative consequences such as decreased academic performance and mental health problems. Physical activity, on the other hand, is often described as a protective factor for mental health. Studies found that boys tend to be more physically active than girls and are more likely to participate in organized sports, which could contribute to gender differences in mental health.

Long-Term Effects

Despite the easing of COVID-19 restrictions and the resumption of regular classes, the mental health of Austrian adolescents remains severely impaired in the third year of the pandemic. This highlights the need for gender-specific interventions and measures to counteract the decline in adolescent mental health.

The Austrian government's response to COVID-19

On 29 January 2020, Austria suspended all flights to China amid the ongoing virus outbreak in the Hubei province, with Wuhan as its epicentre. The first COVID-19 cases in Austria were confirmed in the province of Tyrol on 25 February. Subsequently, the Austrian authorities closed the border to Italy for travel-related purposes on 10 March, following the first public appearance of the government regarding the COVID-19 crisis a day earlier. A week later, they also banned gatherings of more than five people to limit the spread of the virus.

Furthermore, border controls with almost all neighbouring countries were introduced, and schools and universities were closed, while only grocery stores, pharmacies, post offices, and a few other critical institutions remained open to the public. Social distancing and self-isolation were implemented for the general public. These very restrictive measures allowed only three exceptions: system-relevant work (e.g. police, medical personnel, etc.), shopping, and assisting the most vulnerable in society. Meanwhile, restaurants, bars, and cafes were closed, all gatherings were forbidden, and police patrols on the streets controlled whether the population adhered to the restrictions, with fines introduced for those who did not comply.

In April, the authorities also introduced compulsory face masks in all groceries and shops, as well as on public transport. The government extended all domestic restrictions until the end of April but also introduced plans to start reopening non-essential stores and gradually boost the economy. The chancellor introduced a step-by-step timetable, outlining a series of phases to ease the lockdown and revive the economy in the country, starting with non-essential stores on 14 April and continuing with malls, shops, and hair salons on 1 May. All public events were not permitted until July 2020.

In light of the urgency of the situation, the socio-economic repercussions were expected to be enormous, so the government introduced a €38 billion package covering short-time work agreements, compensation payments, as well as social security and tax contributions. The immediate effect of the quarantine was reflected in the rising level of unemployment; March 2020 saw 52.5% more unemployed people compared to the same month of the previous year. The national unemployment rate rose by 4.7 percentage points to 12.2% in March 2020.

The greatest challenge faced by the government, after the present health crisis, was to find a way to partially restart the economy and decrease the unemployment rate.

The impact of COVID-19 on Austrian businesses

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on Austrian businesses, with the country's economy experiencing a sharp downturn in March 2020 due to the pandemic and the measures taken to contain it. The Austrian government implemented lockdowns, contact restrictions, and border closures, which disrupted supply chains and threatened the existence of businesses in various sectors, including gastronomy, hospitality, retail, travel, and event planning.

The pandemic caused shutdowns of manufacturing facilities, interruptions in the procurement of raw materials and components, and sales drops for many businesses. It also led to a shift towards online shopping and remote work, with employees working from home instead of offices. Civil engineering and construction projects were interrupted or shut down due to reduced capacities and difficulties in maintaining social distancing on construction sites.

The pandemic also had a significant impact on the service sector, particularly the hospitality industry, which includes hotels and restaurants. The mandatory closure of these businesses and the ban on almost all personal services negatively affected economic output. The restrictions on mobility and consumption resulted in compulsory private household saving, further impacting businesses. Additionally, the low international demand made it challenging for companies to acquire new orders or maintain existing ones.

To mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic, the Austrian government introduced comprehensive fiscal measures. These included short-time working assistance for employees, hardship and emergency funds for self-employed individuals and companies, and tax deferrals. The government anticipated a budget deficit of 7.5% of GDP for 2020 due to these support measures and significant tax shortfalls.

Overall, the COVID-19 pandemic had far-reaching consequences for Austrian businesses, disrupting supply chains, changing consumer behaviour, and requiring government intervention to support the economy and prevent widespread insolvencies and bankruptcies.

The effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in Austria

As of November 2021, only around 65% of Austrians were fully vaccinated against COVID-19. This low vaccination rate has been cited as a cause of the country's high infection rate, which stood at 635 new cases per 100,000 residents over a seven-day period in November 2021.

In an attempt to increase revenue following a 50% decrease in clients due to low vaccination rates, a brothel in Vienna, Austria, started providing COVID-19 vaccinations for its clientele. Funpalast offered 30 minutes in a 'sauna club' to anyone who got vaccinated on-site.

In the US, the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Novavax vaccines have been approved for use, with the former two being the most widely used. All three vaccines have been updated over time to target new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. While it is still possible to become infected with COVID-19 after vaccination, the vaccines are expected to be effective at preventing severe disease, hospitalization, and death.

Research has suggested that people who are infected after vaccination are less likely to experience Long COVID, compared to those who are unvaccinated. Additionally, the vaccines have been shown to be effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19, with Pfizer-BioNTech's original vaccine showing 95% efficacy in Phase 3 clinical trials.

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