Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39964838›Full record

ArticleThe Journal of infectious diseases2025

Estimates of SARS-CoV-2 Infections and Population Immunity After the COVID-19 Pandemic in Austria: Analysis of National Wastewater Data.

Uwe Riedmann, Alena Chalupka, Lukas Richter, Martin Sprenger, Wolfgang Rauch, Hannes Schenk, Robert Krause, Peter Willeit, Herbert Oberacher, Tracy Beth Høeg and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The Journal of infectious diseases, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Uwe RiedmannDepartment of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.ORCID 0000-0002-2541-9604
Alena ChalupkaInstitute for Surveillance and Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Vienna, Austria.
Lukas RichterInstitute for Surveillance and Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Vienna, Austria.
Martin SprengerInstitute of Social Medicine and Epidemiology, Medical University Graz, Graz, Austria.ORCID 0000-0002-7232-6515
Wolfgang RauchDepartment of Environmental Engineering, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.ORCID 0000-0002-6462-2832
Hannes SchenkDepartment of Environmental Engineering, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
Robert KrauseDepartment of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.ORCID 0000-0001-6656-3648
Peter WilleitInstitute of Clinical Epidemiology, Public Health, Health Economics, Medical Statistics, and Informatics, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.ORCID 0000-0002-1866-7159
Herbert OberacherInstitute of Legal Medicine, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.ORCID 0000-0002-0963-8268
Tracy Beth HøegSloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
John P A IoannidisDepartment of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.
Stefan PilzDepartment of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.ORCID 0000-0002-7959-1311

Funding

Austrian Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer ProtectionAustrian Science Fund KLI 1188
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPostpandemic surveillance data on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections may help inform future public health policies regarding severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) testing, vaccinations, or other COVID-19 measures. We estimate the total SARS-CoV-2 infections in Austria after the end of the pandemic from wastewater data and utilize these estimates to calculate the average national levels of SARS-CoV-2 infection protection and COVID-19 death protection.

methodsWe estimated the total SARS-CoV-2 infections in Austria after the end of the pandemic (5 May 2023, per World Health Organization) up to May 2024 from wastewater data using a previously published model. These estimates were used in an agent-based model (ABM) to estimate average national levels of SARS-CoV-2 infection protection and COVID-19 death protection, based on waning immunity estimates of infections and vaccination in previous literature.

resultsWe estimate approximately 3.2 million infections between 6 May 2023 and 23 May 2024, with a total of 17.8 million infections following 12 May 2020. The ABM estimates that the national average death protection was approximately 82% higher in May 2024 than before the pandemic. This represents a relative decrease of 8% since May 2023. It also shows that 95% of people in Austria were infected with SARS-CoV-2 at least once by May 2024. National infection protection remained relatively low after the onset of Omicron.

conclusionsThese findings should be considered for public health decisions on SARS-CoV-2 testing practices and vaccine booster administrations.

Indexed as

COVID-19SARS-CoV-2WastewaterAustriaHumansPandemicsWastewaterCOVID-19immunizationnationwideSARS-CoV-2wastewater

Identifiers

PMID39964838
PMCPMC12128050

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.