The surge in Covid cases across Europe is forcing governments to take drastic measures, with Austria on course to become the first country in the continent to make coronavirus vaccines mandatory in an effort to curb infections.
Vaccines would be required for all Austrians from February 1, with the country also reimposing a strict lockdown. The plans are the most far-reaching of new measures taken by European nations to ease pressure on hospitals, with Belgium, Germany and Norway among the countries beefing up controls.
The Austrian plans come as the EU’s medicines regulator said member states were cleared to use Merck’s antiviral pill to treat Covid-19.
Alexander Schallenberg, Austria’s chancellor, said on Friday it was time “to face reality” as he announced the new three-week lockdown and said a “general obligation” would apply for all Austrians — where rates of vaccination are among the lowest in western Europe — to get a jab under laws that could be approved within months.
“The political consensus has been against compulsory vaccination in this country and I also believed people should be persuaded to be vaccinated . . . for the protection of society. But despite campaigns [too many] people have still not been vaccinated,” the chancellor said, following late-night discussions with Austria’s state governors.