Klagenfurt health office suspends vaccination appointments

Klagenfurt’s municipal health office is currently offering no vaccination appointments because of staff shortages, ORF Kärnten reported Monday. Residents seeking flu vaccinations, as well as older people seeking free vaccinations against shingles and pneumococcal disease, must instead turn to family doctors.

City councillor Franz Petritz said the shortage was due to the holiday period and a staff member entering early maternity leave. With the office already operating with limited staffing, he said, each additional absence meant it could no longer meet demand.

The shortage was so severe that the head of Klagenfurt’s health department had to carry out a death examination herself on Monday and was unavailable for an interview. Another public health doctor worked through the summer and has now begun a long-planned medical rehabilitation stay.

Petritz said the city was not bringing in doctors from private practices because of financial constraints. The city would use temporary doctors to cover peak demand, he said, but was focusing primarily on filling a permanent position at the health office.

Doctors can apply for the advertised public health position until October 9. If the post is filled, more vaccination appointments are expected to be available again from November.

People who cannot wait that long must be vaccinated by their family doctor and often obtain the vaccine themselves from a pharmacy.

The health office continues to provide vaccinations for children and teenagers at schools, as well as mandatory vaccinations before long-distance travel.

ORF Kärnten said a survey found that health offices in all other districts of Carinthia were offering vaccination appointments and vaccination days as usual.