 Poster: A snowHead
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@Markymark29, but wouldn't you blame him if they stuffed it up.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Markymark29, its not how the media see it here (and I guess most places). The perception has been of a buffoon with a silly haircut presiding over chaos whether it was was brexit or the sad death rate, the view across the channel is somewhat different at the moment. The shine has rather come off Sebastian Kurz, Angela Merkel, Marcus Söder etc
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| Markymark29 wrote: |
| @munich_irish, it’s the NHS organising rollout not Boris. He’ll be just taking the credit for it.... |
And the Army logistics. But noticeably not Serco et al.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Another excerpt from the Guardian Blog
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Police in Austria having been blocking the exit of anyone from a city of 45,000 people who is not in possession of a negative coronavirus test result.
A new rule that came into force on Saturday restricts people from leaving Wiener Neustadt without first being tested for the virus. Police officers and other officials were stationed on 26 roads leading out of the city south of Vienna, checking drivers’ papers. Rule breakers face fines of up to €1,450.
The rule was imposed after the rate of infection in the city rose to more than 500 per 100,000 inhabitants over seven days, compared with a national average of 198 per 100,000.
Klaus Schneeberger, the city’s mayor, said testing stations set up in recent days have a capacity to test 15,000 people per day. According to the Associated Press he said he didn’t understand why Austria’s health ministry “doesn’t use this occasion to start a vaccination campaign here so we get this under control.”
A targeted campaign to vaccinate the entire adult population is underway in the Schwaz district in western Austria, which has seen a significant number of cases of the more contagious virus variant first detected in South Africa.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@ringingmaster,
Yes Wiener Neustadt (translation Vienna Newtown) is just south of Vienna and a commuter town for Vienna. The figures for Vienna have risen to around 260 (per 100000)
Looks like the restaurants are opening up in Voralberg.
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@DB, Probably less than half the restaurants will open in Vorarlberg, as the 8pm curfew won't be lifted and apparently those that open are no longer eligible for govt assistance. It will only be worthwhile for those who do decent lunchtime business, unfortunately.
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I think it’s just about to become even more farcical...it sounds as though ‘we’ are being prepped for a tightening of lockdown (again) with accommodation less likely to open after Easter and more likely to remain closed until perhaps the end of April.
With national cases/100,000 over 7 days now up to 209 and, as posted above, some areas well above this, it’s hard to see the gastronomy ‘experiment’ being extended.
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I don't think it's pure coincidence that the Vienna and Salzburg figures started rising at exactly the same time as the school holidays at the start of Feb.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@DB, outside of Ireland & UK and Iberian peninsula it is pretty much the same everywhere https://npgeo-corona-npgeo-de.hub.arcgis.com/app/e6acbf22cc4f4b85949f59734244ba71 so unlikely to be down to one set of school holidays etc. More likely is that the more infectious variant first identified in Kent is the main reason. Only way out of all this is to vaccinate as many people as possible as quickly as possible, not something that is happening in many places  (not helped by the current faff over "blood clots"!)
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@munich_irish, agreed, re vaccination. The “blood clots” issue seems only to be strengthening the resolve amongst the already sizeable and growing number of sceptics to not have the vaccine.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| munich_irish wrote: |
| @DB, outside of Ireland & UK and Iberian peninsula it is pretty much the same everywhere https://npgeo-corona-npgeo-de.hub.arcgis.com/app/e6acbf22cc4f4b85949f59734244ba71 so unlikely to be down to one set of school holidays etc. More likely is that the more infectious variant first identified in Kent is the main reason. Only way out of all this is to vaccinate as many people as possible as quickly as possible, not something that is happening in many places (not helped by the current faff over "blood clots"!) |
Is the percentage of B117 infections really that high in Austria? Although there was massive speculation in the press, the actual number of B117 infected people seems to be very low here in Austria (in overall percentage terms of people affected). I'd agree with you if the B117 infection rate was 50%+ of all COVID infections - is this the case?
Which countries didn't have school holidays in feb? There were a lot of foreign car licence plates and out of area licence plates seen even though day trips only were officially permitted. Seemed to be border hoping going on and people visiting family / friends even though there should have been no contact with anyone other than immediate houshold members.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@DB, dont know about the Austrian details but here the local district health office here publishes daily figures including how many identified as B117. This is now around 80% of the cases. The rise in these numbers seems to correlate with the general rise in infections. It would seem a reasonable assumption to assume the Europe wide rise in numbers is down to the same issue. Certainly nothing to do with half term trips to Austria here 
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According to BBC 40 cases of blood clotting in 17m vaccinations, ie in 0.0002% cases, a pretty large sample....looks like a crazy situation in the EU major nations - politics being played out before health?
Everyone (including myself) who I know who’ve had OAZ are perfectly fine.
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You know it makes sense.
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| DB wrote: |
| Is the percentage of B117 infections really that high in Austria? Although there was massive speculation in the press, the actual number of B117 infected people seems to be very low here in Austria (in overall percentage terms of people affected). I'd agree with you if the B117 infection rate was 50%+ of all COVID infections - is this the case? |
The experience in the UK is that it becomes the predominant variant fairly quickly, especially if you sit back and dabble with reducing social distancing restrictions as happened here. There's also some evidence that not only does it spread more easily, but it has a higher fatality rate, this pre-print in Nature published today:
Increased mortality in community-tested cases of SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.1.7.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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@munich_irish, is there a big shortage of the AZ vaccine? There are media reports that France and Germany have used significantly less than half of the supplies of the doses they have received from AZ. Delivery targets have clearly been missed, but if the German and French experience is typical I’m not sure that there’s a big shortage.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@rob@rar, even with the messing around there has been a huge under delivery by AZ. The company planned to provide between 80 million and 100 million doses by the end of March, but in January, it drastically reduced the total to 40 million, citing manufacturing issues. Since then, the company has struggled to meet even that goal, and has supplied fewer than 12 million shots to the EU. That is an awful lot of missing shots.
Here in Germany the plan is to get GPs to take over the vaccination programme from next month, 75,000 local doctors seems to be the way to go (if each one only does 100 / week that is 7.5 million doses / week) , problem is there is not currently enough vaccine to give out and not much prospect of there being so in the near future, a pattern repeated all round. As far as Germany is concerned the media stories seem somewhat exaggerated, no doubt there are some who only want the "German vaccine" but in most places there is no choice, you get what you are given or it goes to someone else.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@munich_irish, useful to have a local perspective, it can be difficult to understand things from this distance. I understand that AZ have significantly under-delivered (this is the same for all the pharmaceutical companies is you look globally, AIUI), but is it true to say that Germany has not used all the AZ vaccines it has received? If so, why do you think that is?
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Going back on topic..my „local“ perspective is much the same as Scarlett‘s..I reckon around 50 % of restaurants here in Vorarlberg will try opening - predominately those with good lunch time trade..how many stick at it after a few weeks if demand is low, is the question..
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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..but at least some of the ski resorts are staying open now that we finally have some decent conditions ..although the main core Montafon areas of Hochjoch & Nova are operating a skeleton service only, this has less to do with Covid than with the „Umbau“ of one of the main lifts & the revamp of part of Schruns following major investment..Gargellen, Golm & Brandnertal are, however, largely open..I returned to powder skiing yesterday & today following a week largely spent mountain walking..
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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..but at least some of the ski resorts are staying open now that we finally have some decent conditions ..although the main core Montafon areas of Hochjoch & Nova are operating a skeleton service only, this has less to do with Covid than with the „Umbau“ of one of the main lifts & the revamp of part of Schruns following major investment..Gargellen, Golm & Brandnertal are, however, largely open..I returned to powder skiing yesterday & today following a week largely spent mountain walking..
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@rob@rar, there is no doubt that the AZ vaccine has not had the best press, compared to Pfizer & Moderna the trial data was less clear (though the end results were pretty much the same). There was a German media article claiming that the AZ vaccine only had an 8% efficiency, clearly that was incorrect but as you know once these sort of stories start running they are very difficult to correct. The issue with not using it for over 65s was an example of over cautious behaviour, no the trial data did not have many older participants but there was no evidence whatsoever that the vaccine would not work. This limited who could actually get vaccinated with the AZ jab as most eligible individuals were over 65. That's been fixed but it has slowed things down (applies in Austria and elsewhere too).
Perhaps the fact that it has not been authorised for use in the US plays a part too (also means millions of does are stuck in a factory in America as US not allowing export of vaccines even ones it cant use)
There has been an element of looking for perfection when what is needed is good. That is true for the wider vaccine programme with too many rules as to who gets priority etc, the UK & US seem to have been less concerned with process and more concerned with results.
Also consider that the German speaking world would have a bias towards a "German" product - Vorsprung durch Technik (lets ignore the fact that mRNA vaccines were largely developed in US universities and the founders of BioNTech are of Turkish heritage)
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| munich_irish wrote: |
| @DB, dont know about the Austrian details but here the local district health office here publishes daily figures including how many identified as B117. This is now around 80% of the cases. The rise in these numbers seems to correlate with the general rise in infections. It would seem a reasonable assumption to assume the Europe wide rise in numbers is down to the same issue. Certainly nothing to do with half term trips to Austria here |
So why have previously low infected areas (e.g. Vienna, Lower Austria, Burgenland) suddenly exploded while Tyrol and Voralberg remain low? If it was B117 wouldn't it increase across the whole of Austria and not just the East?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@munich_irish, thanks.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@DB, cause and effect is not always obvious and it can be easy to see patterns that are not there (eg the current panic over the AZ vaccine). Politicians want to "do" things and those decisions often have little actual "scientific" basis. We saw that over the events in Ischgl and St Anton a year ago and the Austrian (& Bavarian) government seems particularly affected by this tendency. Other than the UK (down to vaccine) many of the figures around Europe make little sense. Portugal now has very low numbers (many regions under 20, Tirol is 150) but only a few short weeks ago Germany was flying in medical teams to set up field hospitals to try to deal with the overwhelmed ICUs. I dont believe people in Portugal have behaved dramatically differently to people in Austria nor the fact that a few people have gone skiing in FFP2 masks made any difference at all but there clearly is a difference. The prevalence of a more infectious version of the virus does have supporting evidence whether from the UK or the sort from the district here in Munich (2 weeks ago the numbers were under 40 and dropping, now with 80% B117 they are over 60 and rising, we havent exactly been partying in the beer gardens!).
I am sure there is enough material in all this to keep medical researchers going for the next 20 years and we still wont have completely convincing explanations.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@radar, perhaps that's because I quoted it a good few comments up 
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@munich_irish,
The Austrian German border was pretty tightly managed, people were fined and turned back in both directions. This explains to me the significant difference between Bavaria and Tyrol (approx 50 vs 150). Other borders don't appear to have been that well managed. Everytime there's a school holiday the Austrian infection figures rise afterwards (i.e. see above = post Xmas & Feb). The Viennese were under a much stricter lockdown at Xmas but in Feb large numbers of Viennese number plates were seen in Salzburg and Kärnten (as well as international plates). Doubt as many traveled as far as Tyrol and Voralberg.
I don't think the act of skiing is where the contamination occurs but the gatherings around skiing. i.e. Families meeting, sharing accommodation, sharing cars etc. Yes the B117 variant may have accerlerated things but I still suspect the main cause was East Austrian residents taking holidays that they shouldnt have and mixing with more people than they should then bringing it back to the East.
Last edited by So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much  on Tue 16-03-21 14:42; edited 1 time in total
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You know it makes sense.
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@munich_irish, LOL, missed that! Read the one lower down.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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The Vorarlberg has had very few visitors from outside the area this year. (Most day tourists come from Switzerland or Bayern and those borders have effectively been sealed since December: naturally the usual tourists from N Germany, Scandinavia & Benelux have also been absent.) This certainly helps to explain the low infection rate here..
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Poster: A snowHead
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| DB wrote: |
@munich_irish,
The Austrian German border was pretty tightly managed, people were fined and turned back in both directions. This explains to me the significant difference between Bavaria and Tyrol (approx 50 vs 150). Other borders don't appear to have been that well managed. Everytime there's a school holiday the Austrian infection figures rise afterwards (i.e. see above = post Xmas & Feb). The Viennese were under a much stricter lockdown at Xmas but in Feb large numbers of Viennese number plates were seen in Salzburg and Kärnten (as well as international plates). Doubt as many traveled as far as Tyrol and Voralberg.
I don't think the act of skiing is where the contamination occurs but the gatherings around skiing. i.e. Families meeting, sharing accommodation, sharing cars etc. Yes the B117 variant may have accerlerated things but I still suspect the main cause was East Austrian residents taking holidays that they shouldnt have and mixing with more people than they should then bringing it back to the East. |
The sheer number of Viennese plates (and other Eastern regional plates) on the roads in the Salzkammergut and Dachstein West was extraordinary in late Jan and most of February. There were also far more German plates than I would have expected. Not all have second homes hereabouts, I’m quite sure. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@munich_irish, Kurz is very keen on the vaccine pass, though he intends to tie it to testing and positive certs too, so as not to be seen to be discriminatory. There is also a rumour that the vaccinated will probably be exempt from testing, which should put the boot up the local population to get jabbed, as we’re currently having our brains poked with a swab on a weekly (or more) basis 
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@Scarlet, I am not sure whether or when the proposed "EU vaccine passport" will actually happen as some countries appear to be opposed and it might not apply to Brits either. Given that it seems positive news, certainly for non EU citizens, that Austria wants to go ahead even if it only applies to Austria. There appear to be a fair number here that are planning summer trips and it doesnt seem clear that that is currently going to be possible for non EU folk.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@munich_irish, I’m not sure either. All border discussions are currently focused on Germany and trying to get that border opened. I get the impression that Platter was a bit more than slightly perturbed that he was turned back!
I’m not sure I’d trust something only in use in Austria – I’d prefer a little more oversight, personally. They are keen to let the tourists back in though.
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@munich_irish, seems to be fairly certain that the EU vaccine passport will happen. What is less certain is what each of the member states will do with it. You may still end up having to quarantine... OTOH, it's the traditional holiday countries like Greece and Spain that are pressuring for it to be introduced so I expect it will become widely accepted. They are trying to avoid discrimination against the non vaccinated population by including the results of PCR tests and previous Covid infections on it, so even without the vaccine you can be deemed to be a safe bet on entering the country. Well see how that works out!
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A step in the right direction for wannabe visitors this morning:
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Landing ban for flights from Great Britain ends Sunday
A landing ban imposed on passenger aircraft from Great Britain in Austria because of the Corona crisis will end this weekend. The current landing ban expires on Sunday and will not be extended, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg announced on Thursday.
Schallenberg made his comments during an online discussion with more than a thousand Austrians living abroad in the United Kingdom, according to a Foreign Ministry statement. The discussion revolved around the consequences of Brexit, dual citizenship, the "green passport" and entry regulations. |
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@Scarlet, sounding positive for a summer visit, fingers crossed.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Hurrah!
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@Scarlet, Great news but the fact that Austria's case rate equates to the UK at c.30,000 (and in a much less dense populous) means most won't chance it without a vaccination I suspect. Plus we still need the quarantine rules to change, but small steps in the right direction.
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