Until now, the administration of the booster dose was limited to the most vulnerable people and medical personnel.
Vienna offers the booster dose of the COVID vaccine to all its citizens over 12 years of age starting tomorrow, Tuesday, and provided that at least six months have passed since the administration of the full regimen.
“We know that the effect of the vaccination disappears and that, therefore, a third prick is necessary,” the mayor of Vienna, the social democrat Michael Ludwig, told reporters when announcing the measure, which at the moment applies only to the capital of Austria.
Until now, the administration of the booster dose was limited to the most vulnerable people and medical personnel, as well as those who had been immunized with a single dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Faced with the worrying upward trend in daily infections currently registered in the Alpine republic, Ludwig urged the Viennese to re-vaccinate after six months, considering that it is the only way to overcome “safely” the pandemic.
The current level of daily coronavirus infections had not been seen since late November 2020, when the country of 8.9 million people was in full lockdown.
With the 4,523 new cases registered in the last 24 hours, the cumulative incidence over seven days has risen to 392 infections per 100,000 inhabitants, while the occupancy of hospital beds by COVID patients has also increased.
According to official data, as of today, of the total of 1,458 people hospitalized, 292 were in intensive care.
Experts attribute the worsening of the situation mainly to the low level of immunization, since only 62% of the population has so far obtained the complete schedule of a vaccine, although the number of vaccinated who need medical attention is also increasing.
Johannes Steinhart, vice president of the Vienna Chamber of Physicians, highlighted “the importance of booster vaccination, especially for people who received the first doses at the beginning of the year.”
According to official data, a total of 50,000 booster doses have been administered so far, mainly in nursing homes, which have been received by 22% of those over 90 years of age, 20% of those over 80 years of age and 6% of those over 70 years of age. (I)
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