COVID-19 Pandemic Costs Exceed EUR11.5 Billion in Austria

The financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Austria's healthcare system has surpassed EUR11.5 billion, according to a report from the Federal Ministry of Health presented to the National Council. The total expenditures for pandemic-related measures from the onset of the pandemic in 2020 until the end of 2024 are estimated at EUR11.46 billion.

A significant portion of these costs, amounting to EUR5.18 billion, was allocated for extensive testing programs, which were notably higher in comparison to other countries.

This recent report, introduced to the National Council earlier this week, does not account for expenses related to testing in schools and workplaces, as those were managed by the Ministries of Education and Labor, respectively. Under the testing initiatives financed by the Health Ministry and executed across various federal states, approximately 208 million COVID-19 tests had been conducted by the end of June 2023. Of these, over half, totaling 110 million, were the more expensive PCR tests, alongside around 51 million tests conducted in pharmacies nationwide.

There were considerable disparities in testing rates across different federal states. Notably, Vienna accounted for more than one-third of the total tests conducted, with 75.6 million tests reported, despite housing less than a quarter of Austria's overall population. In contrast, Lower Austria, with approximately 1.7 million residents, reported 41.2 million tests, while Styria, with a population of about 1.2 million, had only 23 million tests recorded.

In terms of vaccination efforts against COVID-19, the Health Ministry indicated that approximately EUR1.77 billion was spent over the past four years. This included EUR1 billion dedicated to vaccine procurement and the remainder allocated for transport, storage, disposal, the digital vaccination passport, and vaccination campaigns. By the end of 2024, a total of 21.5 million vaccinations had been administered.

Furthermore, approximately EUR357 million was spent on medications for treating COVID-19 patients. The expenditure for protective equipment totaled EUR627 million. In contrast, the cost for wastewater monitoring--used for tracking the pandemic's developments--was relatively low, amounting to EUR4.2 million since 2020.

Another significant budget item was the compensation for lost earnings for individuals required to isolate under the Epidemic Act, which incurred costs of about EUR2.44 billion. Additionally, the Health and Social Ministry invested EUR225 million in social measures aimed at addressing poverty-related consequences and long-term care needs.

It is important to note that the report does not include expenditures by other ministries related to pandemic measures.