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Austria hits all-time high for new Covid infections

The Local Austria
The Local Austria - [email protected]
Austria hits all-time high for new Covid infections
Medical personnel works at the intensive care unit with Covid-19 patients in a hospital in Freising near Munich, southern Germany, on November 16, 2021, amid the ongoing coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic. (Photo by Christof STACHE / AFP)

Austria recorded more new cases of Covid-19 infections in the last 24 hours than at any time since the start of the pandemic, as the government debates the best measures for curbing the fourth wave.

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On Wednesday, 14,416 new cases were added to the total, well above the seven-day average of 12,164. This pushed the seven-day incidence rate (new cases per 100,000 people) to 953.

The most new cases were reported in Upper Austria (4,423) followed by Lower Austria (2,294).  

Covid-19 in Austria:

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There are currently 2,723 patients being treated for Covid-19 in hospitals, which is an increase of 155 more than Tuesday. Of those, 486 are in intensive care units -- an increase of 28 in one day and 73 in one week. 

Austria has stepped up its Covid-19 measures in a bid to curb the fourth wave, introducing a ten-day lockdown for unvaccinated residents on Monday, a measure which was originally tied to reaching the threshold of 600 Covid-19 patients in intensive care but was brought in after doctors and other experts sounded the alarm about strain on the healthcare sector.

Since the start of the pandemic, 11,848 people have died of Covid-19, including 271 new deaths in the last week and 41 in the last week alone.

Although vaccination against the virus does not completely remove the risk of catching or spreading the virus -- and its protective effect reduces over time -- unvaccinated people are at higher risk of serious illness.

By November 9th, 83 percent of all symptomatic cases recorded in November were in unvaccinated people, and the incidence rate was more than twice as high among unvaccinated people than vaccinated, according to Health Ministry data.

Earlier in November, the ministry said that of the Covid-19 patients receiving intensive care treatment, 75.7 percent were not fully vaccinated against the virus, even though in the general population unvaccinated people make up only 35 percent of the population.

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