Covid--Whatever--in Austria: Fearmongering, Voluntary Mandates, and More Insanity
Beyond the Reality/Sanity Boundary lies an Open Country without Memory, or: An Essay on the Future of 'the West'
Even though sick leave notifications are very much elevated, no-one among the ‘experts™’ knows why. Bafflement, amazement, and self-delusion continue to reign supreme. Perhaps the WHO-declared, so-called ‘Pandemic™’ has permanently addled the brains of people—and for a telling example thereof, I’ll invite you to re-read a piece I penned in January 2023:
Anyways, the below is a sampling of bits and pieces from the Christmas break in Austro-Covidistan; as always, translations, emphases, and bottom lines mine.
Specialist Warns: New ‘Super Disease’: Even Young People End up Hospitalised
Via Österreich, 28 Dec. 2023 [source]
Internist Arshang Valipour, MD, is currently observing an increase in bacterial pneumonia in patients under 50 after Covid illness [‘young’ means ‘under 50’, with the ‘super disease’ being ‘bacterial pneumonia’; did you shit your pants yet?].
Corona expert Arshang Valipour is alarmed, as reported by Heute earlier [and my here]. The pulmonologist at the Floridsdorf Clinic not only writes on Twitter that Corona cases [what’s in a word, eh?] have increased. What he notices are dangerous sequelae: ‘Some very young patients without relevant previous illnesses have bacterial pneumonia after Covid’, he sees in the hospital. ‘In principle this isn’t surprising after Covid/influenza, but rather an unusually large number of young people (under 50 years of age)’, said the concerned internist [I don’t know if he’s a pulmonologist or an internist, but such things don’t matter anymore].
Others who know the topic from their areas of expertise also responded to his tweet. It was also confirmed to one of those affected in the hospital ‘that there are increasing cases [of what: Covid, the flu, ‘dangerous sequelae’, or bacterial pneumonia?] of relatively young patients there’. According to AGES [Austria’s FDA equivalent], respiratory diseases are increasing in children between the ages of 6 and 14—and have been doing so since late autumn [and that’s ‘news’? I mean, it’s called ‘autumn’…].
‘Covid weakens the immune system’
When asked by Heute, internist [or pulmonologist, or whatever] Valipour explains the current situation in the hospital: ‘It is quite unusual for people under 50 to get pneumonia without any accompanying illnesses.’ [note that in the preceding paragraph ‘the expert™’ held the opposite view]. In the last week or two he has treated patients who were 33, 34 and 40 years old. ‘In the last few days alone there have been three patients. Only one of them was overweight, all the others had no abnormalities.’ [ouch, someone call the woke thought police on this instance of fat-shaming; also, I hear of ‘young’ people ‘feeling sick’ or ‘being ill’ for weeks all the time, and that wasn’t the case ‘BC’ (before Covid)]
However, the Corona expert emphasises that older people are still primarily affected by pneumonia [nothing new under the sun, then]. What he also observes: The number of patients who first get Covid and then the flu has also increased. He has 50 beds in his department at the Floridsdorf Clinic. ‘15 of the patients have Covid or influenza. That's not a small number. Our “core business” such as COPD takes a back seat.’ [whatever, I suppose, is the appropriate answer here…]
Valipour has a personal suspicion: ‘Covid 19 temporarily weakens the immune system, just as we know from influenza.’ Anyone who has had Corona is more likely to catch other illnesses a few weeks later, such as flu or pneumonia.
Intermission: Oh, ‘Flurona’, we Missed You
Just a shameless reminder that a) the conflation of ‘Covid/Influenza’ isn’t new, and that b) this kind of crap-peddling has been going for some time:
Moreover, we note, for the record, that this kind of fear-mongering occurred in Norway ‘even’ earlier than in Austro-Covidistan, and since I’ve written about this issue before, please allow me to quote from the below-linked piece:
It is not unexpected to detect co-infections when two respiratory viruses are circulating at the same time and infection pressures are high, but the overall number is expected to be small. The disease picture can become more serious with such a co-infection, but it is uncertain whether this applies also to the younger age brackets.
Apparently, we are supposed to add ‘bacterial pneumonia’ to the mix, even though bacteria aren’t viruses and can, in theory, be treated easily with antibiotics. Let’s move on, shall we?
Extremely High Numbers of Cases: Corona Numbers are Exploding—Expert Recommends Masking
Via Heute, 30 Dec. 2023 [source]
Corona numbers are rising sharply throughout Austria. There are more and more cases of sick leave, especially in Upper Austria.
Cough, runny nose, body aches, digestive problems, fever. Tens of thousands of Austrians are currently sick in bed and cannot go to work. More than 300,000 sick leave cases have been reported to the Austrian Health Insurance Fund alone. This affects employees and those receiving unemployment benefits. [note that these numbers have not moved in any direction since late November/early December; talk about old wine in new (ahem) skins]
A closer look at the numbers shows: nationwide, almost 90,000 people are currently unable to work because of a flu or flu-like infection, 1,260 cases have the real flu and almost 50,000 people are not at work because of Corona. For comparison: this time a year ago there were just over 20,000 Covid cases [again, what’s in a word: a ‘case’ is…what exactly?]
In Upper Austria the numbers are particularly worrying. In the state, which has a very low vaccination rates, there are currently 8,038 sick days due to Covid. Exactly a year ago there were only 2,942 cases [ah, one of the older ‘tricks’: the conflation of two numbers that are perhaps related to each other but not in the way it is intimated here]. It should also be borne in mind that many Corona cases are not even registered because people are not officially considered unfit for work and therefore do not even appear in the statistics [we’re all going to die].
Doctor Recommends Masking [of course]
‘There is a slight relaxation in the reports of incapacity for work from the Austrian Health Insurance Fund. However, the number of people suffering from Covid is still very high. That is why wearing an FFP2 mask continues to be a simple and effective protection against infection and the spread of Covid but also against the flu to avoid infections and a course of real influenza’, emphasises Austrian Health Insurance Fund chief physician Andreas Krauter in view of the new figures.
Intermission no. 2: Sigh
There’s no fix for stupidity. Exhibit 1456282945242 comes via a brief quote from a piece in TheLocal.at from late Nov. 2023:
Statistics from ÖGK policyholders, Austria's largest public health insurer, indicated that more than 400 individuals were specifically impacted by influenza ("real flu"), while over 84,000 stayed home due to flu-like symptoms. ÖGK's chief physician, Andreas Krauter, highlighted a noticeable uptick in sick days via a statement on Monday…
In his statement, Krauter emphasised the efficacy of masks in offering reliable protection against infection and curtailing further transmission. He particularly stressed the importance of considering this protective measure for individuals with underlying health risks. ‘For them and everyone else, we recommend vaccination against Covid-19 and influenza. Washing your hands is also important’, he said in a press release.
Quick question here, Dr. Krauter: what’s the word for the following notion (source):
When a medical or health care professional, through a negligent act or omission, deviates from standards in their profession, thereby causing injury or death to a patient.
You might be thinking ‘malpractice’, but I’d throw in ‘quackery’, too (if ‘only’ because in Austrian/German the latter is also known as ‘Kurpfuscherei’). Let’s move on, alright?
Coming Soon: A New Virus Wave ‘Headed for Us’
By Peter Reidinger, Heute, 3 Jan. 2024 [source]
The number of Corona infections remains very high. In addition, cases of real flu are likely to increase sharply in the coming weeks. [again, note the inferred nature of ‘infections’, ‘cases’, and their sources—wastewater monitoring—as if all of it means the same]
In the last week of the year, almost 190,000 people were sick in bed with influenza-like illnesses, the flu, or Covid-19 and were unable to go to work [note that the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve is one where many are ‘on vacation’]. This means that the number of cases has decreased compared to the previous week. At that time (calendar week 51), around 300,000 people were still registered sick with the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK). These figures include ÖGK-insured employees as well as those receiving unemployment benefits [in other words: sick leave notifications declined by about a third, although I’d bet it’s also due to the end-of-year holiday].
Wearing an FFP2 mask is simple and effective protection to avoid infections and the spread of Covid, but also flu-like infections and real flu, emphasised ÖGK chief physician Andreas Krauter at the time [year, sure; see above].
‘Increase Expected’
Krauter now warns: ‘The Nordic countries of Europe are already reporting increased influenza virus activity. So far this has not yet reached our neighbouring countries or Austria, but an increase is expected in the coming week.’
That’s why everyone should take advantage of the opportunity to get a flu shot. ‘A Covid vaccination is also recommended. People with chronic illnesses and people aged 60 and over should be vaccinated in particular, as these population groups have an increased risk that the disease will have serious consequences’, says Krauter. In order to avoid infections, you should keep your distance. Washing or disinfecting your hands regularly is also important. You should wear a mask in busy places.
Bottom Lines
Apart from what I wrote above, here’s a timely reminder about a recent ‘study’ from a ‘Nordic’ country about non-pharmaceutical interventions:
Current understanding of the effects of individual non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) on COVID-19 transmission is still limited…It is difficult to analyse how NPI impact infections in observational studies owing to seasonality, new strains, self-regulating behaviour and multiple interventions being implemented and/or lifted simultaneously…
Non-mandatory measures are less invasive and costly than stricter alternatives and have been recommended in previous pandemics, including influenza…
Distance and time away from home decreased after initial national non-mandatory measures in December 2021 in Norway…In major cities, none of the metrics changed after non-mandatory regional measures, but time and distance travelled decreased after follow-up regional mandatory measures…
Interventions related to teleworking, schools, alcohol serving and face mask requirements were not associated with any significant mobility changes…
Reduced physical distancing measures were correlated with decreased time travelled, perhaps because people feel safer with recommendations in place…
With the before–after analysis, potential confounders include temperature and weather. While we analysed mobility trends before interventions were enacted, there were no controls.
For those who wish to read up on these ‘findings’ (ahem), please go here:
If you wish to do stuff yet again that has no proven efficacy, well, you know it’s the proverbial textbook definition of ‘insanity’.
Why are people like the good Dr. Krauter running ‘public health’?
Why is legacy media spreading this kind of disinformation and nonsense?
I shall close this posting by re-posting a quote from the above-linked post from spring 2023 (Jeez, has it been that long already?):
NPIs related to mandatory remote work, the closing of schools and hospitality venues, and the most odious of compliance-signalling stuff, face diapers, did not work along ‘all metrics’.
Yet, Dr. Krauter still ‘recommends’ doing so.
Never have we been governed by greater morons.
I suspect that there’s a significant chunk of the population who still believes this crap—and they are, arguably, even greater morons.
Perhaps we ‘deserve’ morons such as Dr. Krauter?
I shall address the ‘information from the Nordic countries’ stuff in a follow-up posting.
Hmm, you mean the bacterial pneumonia caused by wearing (unnecessary) masks all day ... Can't fix stupid, not at this point.
The wastewater data are remarkably close to those from Germany.
https://cm27874.substack.com/p/virus-victor