International COVID-19 Megathread

[Tender Branson]

The city of Vienna has announced a 4-fold increase in daily testing capacity from 400 to around 1.800 per day.

Austria will test about 10.000 people per day soon, up from 2.000 per day the past week.

[Tender Branson]

As of 4pm today:

Almost 5k cases (4.992 to be exact), of which some 200 are hospitalized, of which 20 are in intensive care units.

Unless the number of deaths here jump significantly over the next days/weeks, I’m not going to post more updates on cases because they will jump anyway as the testing capacity increases.

Women are catching up a bit with infected men, now representing 45% of infected (43% in previous days).

[Tender Branson]

95% of people in Austria are not violating the lockdown rules.

But still, there have been hundreds of charges filed against people so far - who were met by police patrols in groups or for reasons not related to job/supermarket/doctor/bank/pharmacy or simple walks outside.

Therefore, the Austrian government will raise the penalties for such abuses from 2.100€ to 10 packages of toilet paper.

[Tender Branson]

The state prosecution has opened an investigation into the Ischgl ski resort in Tyrol for a potential cover-up of a Corona case:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-52007104

Apparently, a hotel owner was aware of a sick employee at the end of February already - but decided to hide it from the authorities (despite the epidemic law clearly saying that any transmittable disease that becomes known must be forwarded to the authorities).

Greed and €€€ bills ! It’s more important than the health of people.

This could open the door for lawsuits against the hotel owner later on, the ski resort and probably to a lesser degree the state of Tyrol or even the Republic of Austria.

Many ski tourists from Scandinavia got infected at that resort.

[Tender Branson]

The number of registered unemployed has tripled (!) in my district over the past week.

Up from 1.600 to 4.800 now.

Or from 3% unemployment rate to 9%.

The 200% increase is the 3rd highest among all districts in Austria, only 2 districts in Tyrol had higher increases.

Because the ski season has ended much earlier and all hotels are closed of course.

https://www.sn.at/salzburg/wirtschaft/pinzgau-binnen-einer-woche-hat-sich-arbeitslosigkeit-verdreifacht-85320838

[Tender Branson]

Kurz announced last night his intention of a daily testing capacity of 15.000 starting next week (via thorough lab testing).

He'd also like to introduce (the more unreliable) quick tests soon, where hundreds of thousands can be tested (experts have warned against it).

Anyway, with the way things are going here, we'll have to figure out what to do in 1 or 2 months: maybe get the companies back on track, let the young do the job and keep the olds protected in their apartments for the next half year. Otherwise, the economy crashes.

[Tender Branson]

The big jump in cases reported in Austria after the weekend had to do with a different counting method in Tyrol:

Until the weekend, the Austrian health ministry counted only those tested with a primary residence in Tyrol, but the state of Tyrol counted all people tested in the state no matter which residence (also tourists).

The Austrian health ministry took over Tyrol's counting method (= all tested in the state).

Anyway, 6.001 cases as of today 9am and 42 deaths. The increase is slowing again and is reaching single-digit increases.

[Tender Branson]

The Conserva-Green government has announced an agreement with the energy industry that all households will be provided energy, gas and water in the coming months - even if bills cannot and won't be paid.

Besides, there will be no evictions of people that cannot pay their rent.

https://orf.at/stories/3159443

[Tender Branson]

99% chance the following animal has spread the virus on to humans:

image link

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-52048195

[Tender Branson]

Austria:

Registered unemployed at the Labour Market Service at the end of February: 334.000

Net increase of registered unemployed since March 15*: +163.200

* March 15 was the day before the severe measures such as the lockdown was introduced and all restaurants, hotels and tourism resorts closed.

+49% unemployed in 10 days. That is in line with the latest US jobless filings.

[Tender Branson]

The Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) has found a way to connect the Coronavirus and asylum seekers - and to keep them out of the country:

Under a new directive, asylum seekers are only allowed into the country any longer if they provide a medical certificate that they are healthy.

Because virtually no asylum seeker will have it, basically nobody can legally file an asylum request or enter the country.

Even if challenged in court, this would probably be upheld - because the epidemics law argues in favour of Nehammer's directive.

[Tender Branson]

Italy had 919 deaths today, the worst number ever.

Austria: +9 deaths today.

[Tender Branson]

299 people died in France today, while 969 people died in Italy today.

Oh and in the Ile-de-France we're supposed to run out of ICU spaces this weekend...

The epidemic's peak is expected within the next 8 days.

Our health minister said that the peak will be between mid-April and mid-May ...

[Tender Branson]

Intensive Care Unit beds in selected OECD countries per capita:

https://twitter.com/krone_at/status/1243787403850121221

The high number of beds in Austria and Germany has often been criticized and there were political calls to reduce it, but now our welfare states are turning out to help us ...

[Tender Branson]

In other news, cases in Austria have risen to 7.697 by 8am today - but with an 8% increase since 8am yesterday, this is the lowest percentage-wise increase since the virus came to the country.

Deaths: 68 (+10 since yesterday 8am).

[Tender Branson]

Meanwhile, #IschglGate is becoming more and more troubling.

Tyrol Governor Platter (ÖVP) has „banned“ the „nasty“ and investigative German ZDF from his press conference today, allowing only „Tyrol“ media.

[Tender Branson]

Here's another chart:

[Tender Branson]

Austria (daily 3pm update):

7.995 cases (+596, +8.1%)

68 dead (+10)

The 8.1% increase in cases is the lowest ever and the 596 increase in absolute cases the lowest in 6 days.

[Tender Branson]

Quarantine, Day 9: Germany.

https://twitter.com/evaschulz/status/1243822670640287744

[Tender Branson]

Quarantine, Day 9: Austria.

https://twitter.com/stefansargnagel/status/1242536194090700805

[Tender Branson]

8am Sunday update:

+7.7% rise for positive cases (lowest rise ever)

The number of deaths has not been updated for some reason, but was 68 as of yesterday afternoon.

[Tender Branson]

8am Sunday update:

+7.7% rise for positive cases (lowest rise ever)

The number of deaths has not been updated for some reason, but was 68 as of yesterday afternoon.

More data from the Interior Ministry (9:30am):

8.552 cases (of which:)
   931 in hospitals (of which:)
   187 in ICUs

     86 dead (+18 since yesterday)
   479 recovered

[Tender Branson]

How the tourists at Ischgl ski resort spread the virus throughout Central Europe (based on mobile phone data):



Scandinavia, where also many infected tourists returned to, is sadly not shown in this picture.

[Tender Branson]

Austrians need to wear masks when grocery shopping, starting Wednesday.

[Tender Branson]

Austrians need to wear masks when grocery shopping, starting Wednesday.

Does it mean you guys have no problems with obtaining them?

Asking cuz we sure have.

Apparently, 10 million masks are coming via Malaysia tomorrow and will be distributed to every supermarket, where they will be handed out for „a small fee“ at the entrance.

I’m not interested in this, so I smuggled a few worker (dust) masks out of our company today ...

Article:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-austria/austria-to-make-basic-face-masks-compulsory-in-supermarkets-idUSKBN21H16A