The impact of weather on the spread of COVID-19. The case of the two largest cities in Greece (preprint)

The new global pandemic of COVID-19 declared on March 11, 2020, by the World Health Organization, has already had an unprecedented impact on health and socioeconomic activities worldwide. The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic swept through the United States of America and Europe in late September 2020. Compared with other southern countries, such as Greece, where there was a significant increase in cases at the end of October 2020, Northern European countries (Germany, France, Austria, Finland, and Sweden) experienced this second wave of the pandemic earlier in September 2020. To understand the epidemiological behavior of the virus in Greece, from an environmental point of view, we examined the effects of air temperature, humidity, and wind on the spread of COVID-19. More specifically, we studied whether hot and humid conditions are associated with a decrease in epidemiological indicators of the pandemic and whether cold and dry conditions are associated with an increase in these indicators and therefore contribute positively to the spread of COVID-19. We applied Pearson correlation analysis and generalized linear models (GLM) with confirmed admissions to intensive care units (ICU) with COVID-19 from the National Public Health Organization, as dependent variables and the corresponding air temperature, humidity, and wind speed from the Greek National Meteorological Service, as independent covariates. The analysis concerns Athens and Thessaloniki, the two largest cities in Greece.

Optimal prevention strategies for chronic diseases in a compartmental disease trajectory model (preprint)

In countries with growing elderly populations, multimorbidity poses a significant healthcare challenge. The trajectories along which diseases accumulate as patients age and how they can be targeted by prevention efforts are still not fully understood. We propose a compartmental model, traditionally used in infectious diseases, describing chronic disease trajectories across 132 distinct multimorbidity patterns (compartments). Leveraging a comprehensive dataset from approximately 45 million hospital stays spanning 17 years in Austria, our compartmental disease trajectory model (CDTM) forecasts changes in the incidence of 131 diagnostic groups and their combinations until 2030, highlighting patterns involving hypertensive diseases with cardiovascular diseases and metabolic disorders. We pinpoint specific diagnoses with the greatest potential for preventive interventions to promote healthy aging. According to our model, a reduction of new onsets by 5% of hypertensive diseases (I10-I15) leads to a reduction in all-cause mortality over a period of 15 years by 0.57 (0.06)% and for malignant neoplasms (C00-C97) mortality is reduced by 0.57 (0.07)%. Furthermore, we use the model to assess the long-term consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic on hospitalizations, revealing earlier and more frequent hospitalizations across multiple diagnoses. Our fully data-driven approach identifies leverage points for proactive preparation by physicians and policymakers to reduce the overall disease burden in the population, emphasizing a shift towards patient-centered care.

Postpartum suicidal ideation in Austria and Germany during the COVID-19 pandemic (preprint)

Introduction: Postpartum suicidal ideation is a significant concern, as it poses a risk for future suicide attempts, particularly in high income countries, where suicide ranks among the leading causes of death for postpartum mothers. The literature indicates a global average prevalence of postpartum suicidal ideation of approximately 7%, but for Austria and Germany there are few studies on this subject. Methods: In a web-based survey for Austrian and German mothers of children born during the COVID-19 pandemic, several measures of mental health (depression, stress), social support and other parenting and pandemic-related questions were assessed in 1964 mothers. Based on the answers for the last item of the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale, the suicidality risk and the presence or absence of suicidal ideation were computed. Furthermore, possible risk or protective factors for suicidality were investigated. Results: The prevalence of suicidal ideation was 7.3%, which is in the range of the global prevalence reported in the literature, but two times higher than previous reports on German mothers. The three strongest risk factors for suicidal ideation were (i) high levels of stress (increased risk by 350%), (ii) a lack of perceived social support (increased risk by 265%), and (iii) a perceived negative effect of the pandemic on the relationship with the partner (increased risk by 223%). Not receiving help from family and friends, having a lower income, and feeling negatively impacted by the pandemic also significantly increased the risk of suicidal ideation. Discussion and conclusion: The results indicate a higher prevalence of suicidality than previously reported in German mothers, and confirm the risk factors previously associated with depression and suicidality. These risk and protective factors could be targets of social and public health policies, while the first step should be a general screening program for suicidality in this population group.

Austria's KlimaTicket: Assessing the short-term impact of a cheap nationwide travel pass on demand (preprint)

Measures to reduce transport-related greenhouse gas emissions are of great importance to policy-makers. A recent example is the nationwide KlimaTicket in Austria, a country with a relatively high share of transport-related emissions. The cheap yearly season ticket introduced in October 2021 allows unlimited access to Austria's public transport network. Using the synthetic control and synthetic difference-in-differences methods, I assess the causal effect of this policy on public transport demand by constructing a data-driven counterfactual out of European railway companies to mimic the number of passengers of the Austrian Federal Railways without the KlimaTicket. The results indicate public transport demand grew slightly faster in Austria, i.e., 3.3 or 6.8 percentage points, depending on the method, than it would have in the absence of the KlimaTicket. However, the growth effect after the COVID-19 pandemic appears only statistically significant when applying the synthetic control method, and the positive effect on public transport demand growth disappears in 2022.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Re-Infection Risk and Vaccine Efficacy in Austria

Effect of vaccination certification with mass vaccination and non-pharmaceutical interventions on mitigating COVID-19 (preprint)

As COVID-19 vaccines became abundantly available around the world since the second half of 2021, many countries carried out a vaccination certificate (green pass) policy to encourage vaccination and help reopen their economies. This policy granted certified people more freedom of gathering and movement than unvaccinated individuals. Accordingly, pre-existing non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) were adjusted under the vaccination certificate policy. The vaccination certificate also induced heterogeneous behaviors between unvaccinated and vaccinated groups, which complicates the modeling of COVID-19 transmission. Still, limited work is available in evaluating the impact of the green pass policy on COVID-19 transmission using quantitative methods. To characterize the major changes caused by the green pass policy, a modified susceptible-exposed-infected-removed (SEIR) epidemiological model SEIQRD2 is proposed in this paper. By integrating different behavior patterns of unvaccinated and vaccinated groups under the green pass policy, SEIQRD2 adopts the inherent variability and complexity of human behaviors in the context of vaccination and NPIs and their effect on COVID-19 transmissions. Three countries: Greece, Austria, and Israel are selected as case studies to demonstrate the validity of SEIQRD2. The simulation results illustrate that the combination of NPIs and vaccination still plays a pivotal role in containing the resurgence of COVID-19 by enforcing vaccination certification.

The Sociability Argument for the Burqa Ban: A Qualified Defence.

Over the past decade, countries such as France, Belgium, Denmark, Austria, Latvia, and Bulgaria have banned face-coverings from public spaces. These bans are popularly known as 'burqa bans' as they seem to have been drafted with the aim of preventing people from wearing burqas and niqabs specifically. The scholarly response to these bans has been overwhelmingly negative, with several lawyers and philosophers arguing that they violate the human right to freedom of religion. While this article shares some of the concerns that have been raised, it argues that banning face-coverings in public is morally justified under certain conditions with the exception of facemasks that are necessary for the containment of infectious diseases, such as COVID-19. The reason for this is that those who publicly cover their face make it very difficult for other members of society to socially interact with them, especially for those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, which is problematic in an age where many people are chronically lonely or at risk of becoming chronically lonely. As such, this article can be understood as a more elaborate, and arguably more sophisticated, defence of the justification that France offered for its face-covering ban before the European Court of Human Rights, namely that covering one's face undermines the conditions for 'living together'.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on total, sex- and age-specific all-cause mortality in 20 countries worldwide during 2020: results from the C-MOR project.

BACKGROUND: To understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mortality, this study investigates overall, sex- and age-specific excess all-cause mortality in 20 countries, during 2020. METHODS: Total, sex- and age-specific weekly all-cause mortality for 2015-2020 was collected from national vital statistics databases. Excess mortality for 2020 was calculated by comparing weekly 2020 observed mortality against expected mortality, estimated from historical data (2015-2019) accounting for seasonality, long- and short-term trends. Crude and age-standardized rates were analysed for total and sex-specific mortality. RESULTS: Austria, Brazil, Cyprus, England and Wales, France, Georgia, Israel, Italy, Northern Ireland, Peru, Scotland, Slovenia, Sweden, and the USA displayed substantial excess age-standardized mortality of varying duration during 2020, while Australia, Denmark, Estonia, Mauritius, Norway, and Ukraine did not. In sex-specific analyses, excess mortality was higher in males than females, except for Slovenia (higher in females) and Cyprus (similar in both sexes). Lastly, for most countries substantial excess mortality was only detectable (Austria, Cyprus, Israel, and Slovenia) or was higher (Brazil, England and Wales, France, Georgia, Italy, Northern Ireland, Sweden, Peru and the USA) in the oldest age group investigated. Peru demonstrated substantial excess mortality even in the <45 age group. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights that excess all-cause mortality during 2020 is context dependent, with specific countries, sex- and age-groups being most affected. As the pandemic continues, tracking excess mortality is important to accurately estimate the true toll of COVID-19, while at the same time investigating the effects of changing contexts, different variants, testing, quarantine, and vaccination strategies.

The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Dental Tourism in Croatia

Dental tourism is based on providing dental services outside the home country at more favourable prices but with added value in tourist offers and arrangements. Croatia has become a destination for affordable and at the same time quality dental tourism due to low prices, high quality, and natural beauties. In addition to dental services, most clinics offer transportation and accommodation. Dental tourists want to combine dental services with vacation, which makes Croatia a desirable destination precisely because of the natural beauty and abundance of rich content. For this reason, many Croatian dentists have recognized dental tourism as an additional source of income or as their primary business orientation. Although clinics operating within dental tourism are located throughout Croatia, the most significant number is in Zagreb, Rijeka, and Split. Patients mostly come from developed countries such as Italy, Austria, Germany, UK, Ireland, Japan, Canada, and the USA, where dental procedures are not as affordable. Dental tourism in Croatia had exponential growth until March 2020, when, for the first time, it faced a global problem and was challenged in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic.

IMPACT OF THE CORONA PANDEMIC ON THE DEMOGRAPHIC STRUCTURE IN AUSTRIA

The COVID-19 pandemic and the policy measures imposed to contain the virus affected people's health and lifestyles. Based on data available to the Federal Agency "Statistics Austria”, this paper asks about the impact of the pandemic years 2020 and 2021 (and partly beyond) on the Austrian demographics and population. It shows that mortality increased significantly during this period but varied by waves of infection also with the introduction of different policy measures (e.g., lockdowns). There are also changes in the number of births over the course of the pandemic, which can be interpreted through insecurities related to lockdowns and vaccinations. People who wanted to marry or get divorced during the pandemic years were confronted with closed offices and restrictions on holding celebrations, which is why there were significantly fewer marriages and divorces. International migration dropped significantly, especially in the spring of 2020, when European and global mobility was severely restricted, with differences between people of different nationalities. This was also reflected in the number of asylum applications filed in Austria. Migrations within Austria were strongly reduced during the first lockdown in 2020, all further lockdowns had less influence on them. However, in 2020 and 2021 there were several phases in which more people moved from urban to rural areas than before the pandemic. The number of registered secondary residences – which took on new relevance in the context of mobility restrictions and the use of home offices – also changed: overall, their number increased during the pandemic, but in many municipalities, deregistrations of seasonal workers were also noticeable. © 2022 Austrian Geographical Society. All rights reserved.

The COVID-19 framing dataset: How secondary data can be used to explore paradoxical attitudes during the COVID-19 pandemic

We present a data set containing data of five cross-cultural framing studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic (Austria, Germany, U.K. and U.S.). The dataset covers data on participants' conspiracy mentality, distrust in science, risk aversion, individualism-collectivism and the endorsement of preventive behaviors such as vaccination willingness. In addition, across all studies, we collected data of a newly developed scale measuring paradoxical, anti-prevention attitudes during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021). We think that authors interested in the interplay of different traits and COVID-19 attitudes could be interested in the secondary use of the data set, and especially in the newly developed Paradox of Prevention Scale. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Dynamic modelling of changes in emotional and behavioural problems in children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic

Aims: Children and adolescents were affected in various ways by the measures due to COVID-19 pandemic. The aims of this study were to investigate and compare the effects on mental health across age, to identify latent class trajectories of emotional and behavioural problems over 12-months and to examine the association of classes of trajectories with baseline demographic and clinical predictors. Method(s): Children (n = 1854) and adolescents (n = 1243) from the general population were assessed baseline, at 6-, 9-, and 12-month follow-up. They were eligible if they were residents in Austria, Germany, or Switzerland, were parents/caregivers of a child aged between 7 and 10 years or adolescents >=11 years, had sufficient German language skills and provided informed consent. Results and Conclusion(s): Significant age-effects were found regarding type and frequency of problems. While children had the largest increase in aggressive behaviours, adolescents reported the largest increase in emotional problems. Sociodemographic variables, exposure to and appraisal of COVID-19, psychotherapy before COVID-19 and parental mental health significantly predicted change in problemscores (F >= 3.69, p <= .001). Using growth mixture modelling, a oneclass solution was detected for the trajectory of aggressive behaviours and a two- and three-class solution for withdrawn/depression and anxiety/depression. A substantial proportion of children and adolescents experienced age-related mental health problems during the different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. These results suggest that psychological problems of specific sub-groups should be monitored over the longer-term and interventions to improve communication, emotion regulation, and appraisal style should be offered to risk groups.

Global Commodity Chains and Supply Bottlenecks in Austria with Medical Devices in the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 Pandemic led to a strong increase in demand for medical products. At the same time, supply problems in international supply chains kicked in due to health policy interventions (e.g., lockdowns) and economic policy measures (e.g., export controls). Combined, both resulted in temporary shortages and triggered a controversial discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of globalised production structures, which led to strong dependencies on a few, primarily Asian, locations and producers. Against this background and based on case studies for Austria, the article deals with the question which factors determine the robustness of global commodity chains for respirators, protective gloves and respiratory equipment and which national and European policies could be suitable for increasing resilience in the supply of medical products. © 2022 Austrian Geographical Society. All rights reserved.

Survey and 10-day diary data on infant nutrition, development, and home learning environment during the COVID-19 pandemic from the LEARN-COVID pilot study

The LEARN-COVID pilot study collected data on infants and their parents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Assessments took place between April and July 2021. Parents (N = 357) from Switzerland (predominantly), Germany, and Austria answered a baseline questionnaire on their behaviour related to the pandemic, social support, infant nutrition, and infant regulation. Subsequently, parents (n = 222) answered a 10- day evening diary on infant nutrition, infant regulation, parental mood, and parental soothing behaviour. Data and documentation are stored on Zenodo, https://doi. org/10.5281/zenodo.6946048. These data may be valuable to researchers interested in infant development and parenting during the pandemic as well as to researchers interested in daily variability in infant behaviour, parenting, and nutrition. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Zukunftserwartungen der Österreicher*innen während der Coronakrise

ZusammenfassungWas kommt nach der Coronakrise? Die Forschungsnotiz befasst sich mit den Zukunftserwartungen der Österreicher*innen während der ersten Phase der Coronapandemie. Die Daten des Austrian Corona Panel Project zeigen, dass die Zukunftserwartung für Österreich und die Erwartungen an die eigene Zukunft stark divergieren. Während mehr als 60 % Prozent der Befragten glauben, dass sich die Situation in Österreich verschlechtern wird, gehen nur 26 % von einer Verschlechterung ihrer eigenen Lebensumstände in den nächsten Jahren aus.Anhand von Einschätzungen der Befragten zu den drei von Anhut und Heitmeyer postulierten Krisenzuständen – Struktur, Regulation, Kohäsion – lässt sich veranschaulichen, dass Vertrauen in die gesellschaftlichen Institutionen ein wesentlicher Indikator dafür ist, wie optimistisch oder pessimistisch die Menschen in Österreich ihre eigene und die gesellschaftliche Zukunft beurteilen. Darüber hinaus ist es die Wahrnehmung bestehender materieller Ungleichheiten, welche sowohl die Einschätzung der Entwicklung der persönlichen, aber auch der Lebensumstände in Österreich bestimmt. Zudem sind diejenigen, die der Politik und dem öffentlichen Leben Relevanz zusprechen, pessimistischer, wenn es um die Zukunft des Landes geht.Alternate :What will come after the Corona crisis? The research note discusses the Austrians' expectations for the future during the first phase of the Corona pandemic. Data from the Austrian Corona Panel Project illustrates that there is an inherent difference between the future expectations for Austria and the expectations for the individual future. While more than 60% believe that the situation in Austria will get worse within the next years, only 26% think so when it comes to their own future.

The Austrian State and the COVID-19 Crisis: Achievements and Failures of a Small European Country During the Pandemic Since 2020

The financial crisis from 2008 onwards had already led to a "return of the state” in many countries. This tendency intensified in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic from the beginning of 2020—as well as in Austria. This chapter asks several research questions on the Austrian state's handling of the pandemic in comparison with the other members of the European Union (EU). The most important are: What were the consequences of the pandemic in the areas of public health, the economy and the labour market;and what successes and failures were achieved in combating the pandemic? It is clear, however, that only an interim assessment can be made;a "definitive” comparative survey of the state performance of the EU members will be possible only in the years to come. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022, corrected publication 2022.

ECMO-COVID offer and global mortality: Where does Portugal stand?

Objectives: To evaluate the ECMO offer during the COVID pandemic in the different European countries Methods: We colected COVID and demographic data from Worldometer and the national ECMO runs from the EuroELSO platform. Result(s): Europe presented a broad offer of ECMO. If during the first wave the Health System;s resources were not prepared to accommodate the high number of patients, during the following two years ECMO demonstrated to be a useful tool in the treatment of COVID pneumonia. However, across different European countries the use of ECMO was very different. In Portugal ECMO was used in 336 patients, in a universe of 5,557,941 COVID cases within a total population of 10,140,570 individuals. Of these, 336 were placed on extracorporeal circulation, which corresponds to 60.5 cases per million positive cases and 33.1 per 1 million individuals. The average number of patients placed on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) per million positive cases was 39 amongst the surveyed countries. Portugal was the 4th country with the most patients of ECMO per million cases (1st is Belgium with 106.5;Estonia 106.1;and Austria 68.5) and per million inhabitants (33.1), after Estonia (49.2), Austria (43.2) and Belgium (42.6). The mortality rate of COVID patients in Portugal is 0.46%. It is lower than the average of the countries under analysis (0.56%). When analyzing the frequency of cases concerning the mortality rate, there is seemingly an increase in the mortality rate with a decrease in the number of cases. The significant differences in the mortality rate between different countries can be explained by several other factors: different criteria for the main diagnosis of death;capacity of the different countries regarding the population;s access to vaccination and the different access to health care. Conclusion(s): ECMO-COVID offer was very different across countries. In Portugal, the offer was amongst the greatest in Europe, not compromising the overall response to the global COVID population.

The Future of European Labour Law

In recent years European integration has been overshadowed by multiple crises. The European Union has faced serious challenges: the national debt of Member States, the stability of the financial sector and the single currency, mass migration, the Covid-19 pandemic and more recently inflation, gas and oil supply and even war on its eastern borders. Most of these challenges have had a noticeable impact on domestic and European labour law. The conference on The Future of European Labour, which took place on 11–12 November 2021 at the University of Vienna, was devoted to analysing current issues and exploring the prospects of EU Labour Law. Twelve speakers and discussants from all over Europe (Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Poland, Spain, and also the United Kingdom) took part in discussing possible future developments in EU Labour Law. This special issue of the Journal comprises papers on the topics discussed in Vienna, which the authors have chosen freely and independently of each other. © 2023 Kluwer Law International BV, The Netherlands

Migration und Prekarität in der Pandemie: Empirische Studien aus Deutschland und Österreich

This text discusses the "multiple precariousness” of migrant workers in the pandemic on the basis of empirical studies from Germany and Austria. It focuses on sectors that were publicly criticized for problematic working conditions during the Covid-19 crisis and at the same time experienced an economic boom. In view of the mass infections in such sectors, the question of health challenges arises, which the authors systematize with questions about the informalization of employment, an analysis of the connection between residence regimes, social rights and precariousness, as well as the discussion of the racialization of attributions in the work process. Finally, we look at the potential for change and the participation of workers who are confronted with "multiple precariousness”.Alternate :Dieser Text diskutiert anhand von empirischen Studien aus Deutschland und Österreich die „multiple Prekarität" migrantischer Arbeiter:innen in der Pandemie. Im Mittelpunkt stehen dabei Sektoren, die gerade auch in der Covid-19-Krise für problematische Arbeitsbedingungen öffentlich kritisiert worden sind und in genau dieser Zeit einen ökonomischen Boom erlebt haben. Es steht hier, angesichts der Masseninfektionen in solchen Sektoren, zunächst die Frage nach gesundheitlichen Herausforderungen im Raum, die wir sodann mit Fragen nach der Informalisierung von Beschäftigung, einer Analyse zum Zusammenhang zwischen Aufenthaltsregimen, sozialen Rechten und Prekarität sowie der Diskussion zur Rassifizierung von Zuschreibungen im Arbeitsprozess systematisieren. Zudem stellt sich die Frage nach Veränderungspotenzialen und Teilhabe von Arbeitenden, die mit „multipler Prekaritat" konfrontiert sind.