A brief update on things in Austria is in order, esp. since today, 14 Dec. 2023, marks a quite spectacular ramping up of the fear-mongering w/respect to all things Covid.
All translations and emphases mine, as are the bottom lines.
Österreich: ‘A Record Wave’
We’ll start with tabloid Österreich, which published the following today:
Austria is in the midst of a new corona wave: according to figures from the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK), almost 42,000 people with Covid-19 were on sick leave last week. ‘This is a wave that has perhaps not yet been seen in the pandemic in this form and to this extent’, said virologist and immunologist Andreas Bergthaler from MedUni Vienna on Ö1-Morgenjournal, citing wastewater tests.
As a result, the so-called Pirola variant is currently spreading in Austria. This is a particularly contagious sub-variant of the Omicron mutation that became known in January 2022. The analyses show that Pirola sub-variants are gaining in growth, it said. ‘From this, one could also conclude that the wave of infection may last a little longer’, said Bergthaler.
Rofl.
Heute: ‘No Christmas Parties’
Let’s move on to another tabloid, Heute, which added the following:
Corona numbers are exploding, at least according to the Austrian wastewater system. Vienna in particular seems to be developing into a corona stronghold. Hans-Peter Hutter, an environmental physician at MedUni Vienna, is not surprised: ‘Not much has been learnt from the past few years. People only react when it already hurts. Until then, the focus is on personal responsibility and this has not been visible for months, otherwise there would not be this increase’, explains the expert in an interview with Heute.
Over 1,000 people are currently being treated as inpatients in Austrian hospitals due to a Sars-Cov-2 infection. At the same time, 41,690 people insured with ÖGK were on sick leave due to coronavirus last week (week 49). This is twice as many as in the same period a year ago, when it was still a notifiable disease: 21,858 Covid-related sick days were reported in the first week of December 2022.
Asymptomatic at the Christmas Parties
However, since the abolition of mandatory reporting and testing, it is difficult to say how high the corona number in Austria actually is, says Hutter, but the situation is clearly very unfavourable according to wastewater monitoring. ‘We can only assume plausible, infectiological bases here, and these are that October and part of November were still relatively warm. Then it suddenly got cold and people started meeting indoors again and the first celebrations began.’
You don't have to be an epidemiologist to know that the numbers will continue to rise, as ‘more and more infected people are meeting up who either have no symptoms or who say it's not that bad. There are no protective measures at all. It's as if the whole thing doesn't exist.’
For this to change, certain framework conditions are needed. However, Hutter does not want to talk about a new mask requirement here either. ‘We've been warning long enough now that this is a new variant and that the wave in which we all contracted it was a long time ago. Immunity has therefore dropped and this variant may not be so easy to get rid of.’
A lot can be achieved with just a little: ‘Washing your hands, airing out in between, getting vaccinated, wearing a mask on public transport. It's very simple, but the willingness of most people is close to zero.’ These measures would not only help against the coronavirus, which is currently on the rise, but also against other respiratory diseases that are currently on the rise.
Hutter: ‘I've cancelled a few Christmas parties because I don't want to have a fever at Christmas.’
Oh my, with ‘experts™’ like these, it is hardly surprising we are getting stupider by the minute. Also, lest you think that, oh, well, that’s just the tabloids—behold what was published by state broadcaster ORF:
ORF: ‘Many Infections, Few Vaccinations’
How does the immune system react—to infection with the coronavirus and to vaccination? During the pandemic, it was possible to study these processes in detail in all age groups—from young adults to chronically ill and elderly people, says Ursula Wiedermann-Schmidt. [hi again, ‘expert™’: background here]
According to the Head of the Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology at MedUni Vienna, these were ‘very decisive findings’—also for the development of vaccination recommendations, as it became clear that these need to be more diverse, depending on how old or how healthy someone is.
Young people build up immunity more quickly [no shit analysis]
In concrete terms, this means that if a young, healthy person has had contact with the coronavirus three to four times—through infection or vaccination—they have built up a relatively stable immunity. As a result, a possible infection with the current variant would be relatively milder. The situation is different for older and chronically ill people: According to the doctor, long-term immunity does not build up so easily in them, which is why immunisation with the adapted vaccine is recommended.
Above all, however, one thing has been seen: although the vaccination stimulates the immune system, it cannot prevent the colonisation of the nasopharynx with the virus. The defence of the mucous membranes is often not sufficient. Only the combination of vaccination and infection generates a higher level of immunity. However, according to Wiedermann-Schmidt, this is less well developed in older people, those with underlying illnesses and smokers. Infection is still easier in these groups.
Little uptake of adapted vaccine
Meanwhile, according to the Austrian vaccination dashboard, only just under 400,000 people in Austria have had the new adapted vaccine—that is not even one in twenty. Wiedermann-Schmidt also sees the reasons for the low uptake in the communication about the vaccination: on the one hand, a certain false expectation was associated with it from the outset. This also applies to communication on the part of the scientific community.
It was hoped that the vaccination could prevent the infection and not just reduce the severity of the disease [that is false; the Covid injections were never authorised for transmission control]. It then became increasingly clear that people were becoming infected despite being vaccinated. This was accompanied by a certain disappointment, along the lines of: if I'm going to get ill anyway, I don't need to be vaccinated. According to the doctor, it was not sufficiently emphasised what the vaccination can achieve, namely that severe cases, pneumonia and long Covid can be prevented—or at least reduced.
"False reports were a problem"
The second key point was the issue of compulsory vaccination: it had become clear that this discussion had dramatically increased the move away from vaccination. Finally, the third problem was that there were a lot of false reports circulating on social media. We will try to provide better information here in future, for example by offering the opportunity to ask questions anonymously in chats - and receive competent answers.
So, lots of malarkey and lies peddled by the good doctor Wiedermann-Schmitt, which is also hardly surprising.
Yesterday, by the way, there was one more actually interesting piece about this entire shitshow, and it appeared in Heute (yes, that tabloid, again), and they did something interesting: they asked people about the Covid monster wave (fear now):
‘The Numbers are Manipulated’—Covid Divides Opinions
The coronavirus has Austria firmly in its grip. Experts advise against Christmas parties and recommend wearing a mask. Is the population worried?
Heute asked the population whether they are worried about the exploding numbers and are calling for tougher measures.
‘I’ve been vaccinated six times’
34-year-old Patrick doesn't think much of all the measures and recommendations. He is firmly convinced: ‘The corona figures are manipulated and they just want to scare people.’
64-year-old Stefan is relatively relaxed about the current coronavirus situation. ‘I've been vaccinated six times and I think I'm very well protected’, says the pensioner. He doesn't think a general mask requirement makes much sense. Stefan says: ‘Everyone should decide for themselves how and whether to protect themselves.’
‘Corona is like having a cold’
17-year-old Manuel reports that he is spreading the coronavirus a lot, especially at school [orig. Der 17-jährige Manuel berichtet, dass er vor allem in der Schule das Coronavirus stark verbreitet.]. Otherwise, however, he hardly notices anything about the disease. The 17-year-old says: ‘We have to learn to live with this virus. Corona is now just more like a cold.’
Tyrolean David has also put the issue behind him. ‘I haven't thought about the coronavirus for a long time now.’ However, the 21-year-old would have no objection to a general obligation to wear masks. ‘If corona comes back to the same extent as three years ago, tougher measures should be introduced again.’
Bottom Lines Sighs
Mostly morons, more so among the ‘experts™’. Some ‘regular’ people have realised the tragicomical nature of these absurdities while others—esp. that six-time jabbed retiree but also that 21-year-old—state exceptionally mind-bogglingly stupid things.
There is no end in sight, hence the lunacy will continue until…when?
I don’t know, but the levels of idiocy are painful to observe.
We are currently in a world of «the living dead». Almost everybody has completely lost their minds. The biggest psyop ever, is holding the sheeple in its iron-fist. Being an observer to this madness is quite disturbing.
I recently learned a new word (that is not a word). 'Malding.' When someone is both mad and balding.
Andreas Bergthaler looks malding.
We are currently in a world of «the living dead». Almost everybody has completely lost their minds. The biggest psyop ever, is holding the sheeple in its iron-fist. Being an observer to this madness is quite disturbing.