Following the news of several potential coronavirus vaccines, Austria is set to announce its vaccination plan on Wednesday following suggestions that the country is “on the road back to normality”.

Austria’s Health Minister Rudolf Anschober hinted that the vaccine should start being given out in January. “We will have a few hundred thousand doses in January. The corresponding logistics are in preparation. The (vaccine’s) market approval decides on the actual start.”

Around 24 million doses of the vaccine will be given to Austria, once made available. Countries worldwide are awaiting further results from the three vaccinations for coronavirus, which are all in their final stages of approval. 

The vaccines will be given out at the start of the year, Anschober said, "unless something unbelievable goes wrong". 

Next month, Austria will commence its mass-testing plan, with teachers and police officers being the first to be tested. "It is clear that the main risk groups have priority. In a second step, the employees of the health system should then be able to be vaccinated.” He noted that it is important that people in risk groups would be vaccinated first.

"I assume that the other interested population can then be vaccinated gradually from the second quarter onwards.”