Austria, for example, is already debating between mandatory immunization or re-confining the entire population.
With the incidence of COVID-19 cases setting records and mortality rising, several Central European countries are passing tough restrictions, to the point that Austria, for example, is even debating between mandatory immunization or re-confining the entire population. population.
Countries such as Austria or the Czech Republic, which in the spring of 2020 passed the first wave with very low numbers of infections and deaths compared to Italy or Spain, are more than a year later forced to restrict freedom of movement, with the common denominator vaccination rates below the European Union average.
Vaccination does not speed up
After months of inaction due to the low level of immunization against COVID-19, 65%, which the government itself has described as “shameful”, the Austrian authorities have been increasing the pressure on those reluctant to get vaccinated for two weeks.
First, prohibiting those who are not vaccinated or healed from going to gastronomy, leisure or beauty shops. Then, since last Monday, with a confinement only for the unimmunized.
In the two weeks that the unvaccinated restrictions have been applied, the number of first doses has grown by 3.4%, doubling the rate of the previous two weeks.
However, the number of newly vaccinated is ridiculous when compared with the number of citizens who are already getting third.
In the last two days, for example, 65% of all injected vaccines were third doses, compared to 21% of the first and 13% of the second.
Sociologist Bernhard Kittel believes that it is still possible to convince with arguments some of those who have not yet been vaccinated, but that at least 30% will remain irreducible.
“To the radical anti-vaccines the confinement has reinforced them in their opposition”, warns to Efe Kittel, director of the Austrian Corona Panel Project of the University of Vienna, a team of scientists that analyzes how the Austrian society reacts before the pandemic.
With this outlook, the Austrian Government will probably decide tomorrow to extend the confinement to the entire population, a measure that Salzburg and Upper Austria have already announced, the two regions where the vaccination rate is lower and where the incidence of infections and the risk is higher. of collapse of the health system.
Too late
In any case, experts believe that all these reactions come too late.
“We should have taken all the measures that can be taken before confinement a week and a half ago, which means that vaccinated people should also endure some restrictions,” says Thomas Czypionka, a health policy analyst at the Institute for Advanced Studies.
According to this expert, it would be necessary to quickly reduce contacts by 30%, but the indecision when it comes to what measures to take “makes a lockdown more and more likely.”
The longer it takes, he warns, the more hospital pressure and the number of infections will increase and, therefore, the longer and stricter the confinement will have to be.
“Constantly renewing confinement exhausts people’s obedience and makes all measures less effective,” says Czypionka.
Mandatory vaccination
Regarding the other strategy being debated, that of imposing the compulsory nature of vaccination, both Czypionka and Kittel doubt its effectiveness.
The first is of the opinion that, apart from dividing society, it will take months for the percentage of the population to increase with the full pattern.
And Kittel believes that although that measure could raise the vaccination rate by a couple of percentage points, “there are a lot of people who would prefer to pay a fine.”
Many jurists have agreed that this measure would not violate the Constitution.
For now, after months of speculation, the Government has announced that health personnel will be required to be vaccinated.
In the rest of the Central European region, the Czech Republic will only allow people vaccinated and healed of COVID-19 to access bars, restaurants or meetings from next Monday, and is considering reimposing all companies to test their employees.
In Slovakia, the government has gone further and will require that employees who have not been vaccinated or have had the disease have to take vacations without pay or, if the company allows it, work from home.
In Hungary, the Executive has announced that it will soon force all public workers to be vaccinated, while the College of Physicians has asked that those who do not have a covid certificate be prohibited from entering restaurants or cinemas. (I)
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