In Austria, 50.3 percent of the vaccinated population is protected by booster vaccination (third vaccination or second vaccination after recovery, respectively). Since the beginning of the year, this figure was only 40.8 percent. Within a month, the vaccination of citizens increased by about ten percent, Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein said.

According to him, vaccination prevents the healthcare system from being overwhelmed by the "omicron" and also protects against virus mutations. "The gradual easing of measures also became possible only thanks to vaccination," the minister was quoted as saying by OE24 TV channel.

Since February 1, in Austria, the validity of the coronavirus vaccine has been reduced from nine to six months after the second injection. In this regard, more than 235,000 people remain without a vaccination passport. However, the government refuses to provide a transitional period with an extended vaccination period.

The Cabinet decided to shorten the validity period of the certificates. Additional vaccinations have been deemed necessary to combat the spread of the highly contagious omicron variant that spread in Austria in early January.

bbabo.Net