VIENNA. The Austrian laender of Salzburg and Upper Austria from next week will impose a lockdown for everyone, vaccinated included, “if there is no blockade at the national level”. This was announced this morning by the governor of Upper Austria, Thomas Stelzer (OeVP). According to Stelzer, the blockade should last several weeks. New measures could be decided tomorrow, in a new meeting between the federal government and the regional governments: in Austria in the last 24 hours another 15,145 cases have been recorded, with the weekly incidence skyrocketing to 989 infections per 100 thousand inhabitants.
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In the meantime, from next Monday unvaccinated people who go to Austria will be required to have a valid certificate of vaccination, recovered for less than six months or a negative molecular swab: antigen tests and rapid antibody tests will no longer be allowed. Since February 25, 2020, the day of the first two positives in Austria, people tested positive have exceeded one million (1,011,465). The weekly incidence has risen further and today is 988.7. Yesterday 55 people died, for a total of 11,903 victims since the beginning of the pandemic. In full emergency, especially hospitals: in various structures there are no longer places in intensive care (498 are currently occupied) and the beds are also placed in the corridors.
With respect to the use of the Green Pass at the border, there are exceptions for cross-border commuters (for reasons of work, school, study, family reasons or to visit their spouse), for which the 3G rule continues to apply ( certificate of vaccination / cure / negative PCR or antigen test). The validity of the tests for commuters is however reduced for molecular tests from 7 days to 72 hours, and for antigenic tests from 48 to 24 hours.
No to the Austria model (for now). The stop of Draghi to the governors
ALESSANDRO BARBERA
Germany: “Never so worried, it will be a terrible Christmas”
In Germany there is a new record of infections from Covid, after the one marked yesterday. As announced by the Robert Koch Institute for Infectious Diseases, 65,371 new cases were ascertained in 24 hours, with 264 deaths. The seven-day incidence rose to 336.9 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Yesterday 52,826 new cases were reported with 294 deaths and an incidence of 319.5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. In total, Germany has so far recorded 5.19 million Covid cases with 98,538 deaths. It is Bavaria that is particularly affected by the fourth wave of coronavirus infections: the 7-day incidence is 609.5 against 568.4 yesterday. The number of new infections in Bavaria alone is 19,141.
The Permanent Vaccination Commission thus recommended Covid-19 booster vaccination for all adults. The dose should be done with an mRNA vaccine and six months after the last basic immunization booster, Stiko says. A draft resolution has already been passed by expert groups and federal states for voting, so changes are still possible. Until now, the “booster” in Germany had only been recommended for people over 70 years of age and with previous illnesses, as well as for nurses.
“We have never been so worried as we are now, we are in a very serious emergency situation and we will have a truly terrible Christmas if we do not take something against the current trend,” says Robert Koch Institut President Lothar Wieler. “The estimates are more than bleak,” he adds. “Behind the 50,000 registered infections, at least double or triple the numbers are hidden. There is a great emergency in our country and whoever does not see it makes a serious mistake ».
German lawmakers are discussing measures that should replace the current national rules on the outbreak, which will expire at the end of the month. Wieler said Germany needs to increase its vaccination rates significantly above 75%, from 67.7% today. Some regions of Germany have vaccination rates at 57.6%. He also called for the closure of clubs and bars, an end to large-scale events and limited access to many places in public life for the vaccinated and the recovered.
Alarm also in Russia
In Russia too, the situation is increasingly alarming: in the last twenty-four hours the victims are 1251. The government task force calculates 37,374 infections nationwide, down from the peak of 41,335 already recorded in November.
The double sacrifice of doctors
Giovanni De Luna
Australia against the tide
The state of Victoria, in Australia, seems to go against the tide – with respect to the new restrictions – which from tomorrow will revoke most of the restrictions introduced to contain the spread of Covid-19 for people who have completed the vaccination cycle. This was announced by Victoria’s Prime Minister Daniel Andrews: almost 90 percent of the local population over 12 has obtained the two doses of the coronavirus vaccine, a goal that is expected to be achieved over the weekend. Restaurants and bars closed, however, for those who are not vaccinated and who can only take take-away food. Access to non-essential services such as cinemas, theaters, zoos, festivals, hairdressers and beauty salons is also denied.
The “yes” of the French at the lockdown
60% of the French say they are in favor of a lockdown for the unvaccinated. This was reported by a survey by Elabe for BfmTv. Yesterday, 20,294 new positive cases were recorded in the country, a figure twice the average seven days earlier. Also according to the survey, 54% of respondents believe that the epidemic is far from over and that it will pick up even more strongly in the coming weeks. Yesterday, the spokesman of the Government, Gabriel Attal, had however assured that at the moment no confinement is foreseen.
Covid, it is third dose alarm. Gimbe: “The vaccine supplies have been stopped for over a month”. And Sileri does not rule out the lockdown for No Vax
