The population is testing less and less. The daily reported CoV numbers are therefore “barely meaningful”, criticize experts. “We simply no longer have a speedometer, so to speak, where we can see from the number of cases whether things have gotten faster or slower,” said complexity researcher Peter Klimek recently in ZIB2.
The number of reported infected people in Vienna has fallen from 46,202 (as of July 10) to 28,337 (as of August 11) since last month. The number of tests carried out every day varies between 30,000 and 60,000 – most recently it was 45,000.
Epidemiologist for spot checks
Gerald Gartlehner, epidemiologist at Danube University Krems, is a guest in the studio and talks regarding the current CoV situation in Vienna. In Vienna, the number of reported infected people has fallen from 46,202 to 29,251 since last month. According to experts, however, the current figures do not give an accurate overview of the current situation.
“Should also take random samples like in other countries”
A real assessment of the situation is currently not possible, said Gartlehner. “But what you have to say is that it shouldn’t be because of how much the population tests itself that we can assess it, but rather, like in other countries, samples should be taken in order to be able to really assess it better. And unfortunately that doesn’t happen in Austria,” criticized Gartlehner in the “Vienna Today” studio talk. He does not know why no samples were taken.
“Sewage data confirms it’s going down”
The wastewater analysis is the main way to determine the CoV situation. Water samples are taken from the wastewater of households and companies in Vienna three times a week. “If you look specifically at Vienna, the test numbers are going down and the wastewater data confirm that things are going down here too,” says Norbert Kreuzinger from the Institute for Water Quality and Resource Management at the Vienna University of Technology to “Vienna Today”. This has been observed for regarding two weeks.
Coronavirus numbers drop, sewage analysis says
In Vienna, the number of reported infected people has fallen from 46,202 to 29,251 since last month. In the hospitals, the strong increase forecast in July did not materialize. According to experts, however, the current figures do not give an accurate overview of the current situation.
New variant Centaurus in individual sewage treatment plants
However, there is also a lack of clarity here, because many Viennese are currently on vacation. “We see very, very low values this year just from the amount of wastewater that is produced, this is not due to the weather or the precipitation, but it is also due to mobility. And then it becomes methodologically a bit difficult in the very low range to have the data as solid as during the year,” says Kreuzinger.
Regarding the CoV variants, the omicron subtypes BA.4/BA.5 are now predominant in Vienna. “And now there are already observations in individual sewage treatment plants where BA.275 appears,” says Kreuzinger and “may also be of greater importance”.
Hospitals not at the load limit
In the hospitals, the sharp increase forecast in July has not materialized so far. The clinics are currently not reaching their limits. The situation, especially in the normal wards, is tense, according to the health association. This is due to the fact that many employees are still on sick leave or vacation. At least for the current situation in August, a trend can be seen with wastewater analyzes and hospital occupancy. According to experts, however, it is hardly possible to derive forecasts for the autumn from this.
Gartlehner does not believe that the hospitals will reach their limit in the fall. “Omicron is significantly less pathogenic than the previous variants. And the hospitals are currently far from being used to capacity. Thank God,” said the epidemiologist.
In winter, however, the situation might look different and the obligation to wear masks might be reintroduced. “In the winter, of course, there might already be a risk that if the flu and an omicron wave come together, the hospitals will really be overwhelmed. And the mask protects once morest flu and corona,” says Gartlehner.
