Corona, flu, RSV

7 questions about the wave of infections and the vaccination season

Styrian doctors are currently being asked to be patient.

(Bild: APA/dpa/Daniel Karmann)

Autumn has caused the number of respiratory infections to skyrocket and doctors' surgeries are filling up. The wave may seem unusually early and severe for the beginning of October. But is that really the case?

There is hardly a family that is not currently affected by cases of illness - from toddlers to senior citizens. Eva Winter from the City of Graz Health Department and Styrian ÖGK boss Josef Harb explain.

1. are the sickness figures higher than usual this year?
Cases are on the rise, but things are not yet getting out of hand. The trend corresponds to the season, the exact time of the increase is not the same every year, says ÖGK boss Harb.

2. has the wave already had an impact on hospitals?
Covid is very noticeable, influenza is not yet noticeable at all, and other respiratory infections are also "not exciting", says Eva Winter. She has noticed a steady increase, but the situation is far from precarious. Overall, she is "cautiously optimistic".

The experts Eva Winter (City of Graz) ...

(Bild: Pail Sepp/Sepp Pail)

... and Josef Harb (ÖGK) answer the most important questions about the current infection situation.

(Bild: Jauschowetz Christian/Christian Jauschowetz)

3. what feedback is there from doctors?
According to Harb, doctors are largely pragmatic about the situation. "It's not unhinged" and there has been no sense of catastrophe so far. "The wave will recede and the next one will come, that doesn't worry us yet," says Harb succinctly.

4 How long will the Covid wave last?
Winter already sees glimmers of hope. The rise is slowing down or has already stopped, as the latest figures from the wastewater dashboard show. This recently showed a "veritable wave", but the reproduction rate is now clearly decreasing. Infected people are therefore infecting fewer people than just a few days ago.

5. is there enough vaccine against Covid and flu?
The stocks of coronavirus vaccines are full and there is no threat of a shortage. When it comes to influenza, the Vienna Medical Association sounded the alarm in September and spoke of a disaster. According to Winter, the problem is now a thing of the past: on Thursday, it received final confirmation that the doses will arrive in the coming week. Vaccinations can therefore go ahead as planned from October 14.

6. what other diseases should you keep an eye on at the moment?
In addition to Covid and influenza, RSV in particular is still an issue. The vaccination is expensive and is currently only regularly administered to the youngest children. Keyword children: whooping cough should not be taken lightly either, Winter appeals. The physical burden, especially in small children, is great and immunity after infection or vaccination is not very strong.

7. how dangerous is the Marburg fever recently registered in Germany?"It's one of the nastiest things like Ebola," says Winter bluntly. The good news is that there are only imported cases in Europe. The usual hygiene measures are a good way of preventing infection, as the disease is only transmitted through close contact with blood or other bodily fluids.

Gut zu wissen

Wundertüte Corona, Uhrwerk Influenza

The coronavirus has not followed any rules since it emerged almost five years ago. Virus strains and waves come and go, but the situation with mutations is no longer as volatile as it was in the early years. This is why the vaccines are still very effective.

In the case of real flu, medicine can look back on decades of experience. This year, too, the virus seems to be sticking to its own rules: There are still no abnormalities, and the peak is expected as usual around the turn of the year or even later.

From October 14, it will be possible to get vaccinated against influenza in Styria, the date has been fixed since this week. This also corresponds to the recommended time in mid to late October. If you want to save time, you can also get vaccinated against the coronavirus at the same time.