Death toll in Russia reaches all-time high

Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed concern about the sharp rise in the number of deaths among coronavirus patients in Russia. The authorities reported 456 deaths today – more than ever before in one day since the beginning of the pandemic in Russia. As recently as spring, Russia had caused a sensation in an international comparison with low death rates. Putin had called this a success of his policy. The number of newly infected people was today put at 20,985. 34,387 people have died with the virus so far. The…

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This is how the federal government wants to test every Austrian

Today, the Austrian government held initial, positive talks with the social partners, the medical association and the scientific community on corona mass tests and screenings. The federal government’s plan to carry out broad-based mass testing – following the Slovakian model – and targeted screenings has met with broad support. The free and voluntary tests are intended to accompany the planned relaxation steps after the second lockdown (e.g. opening of schools) and also to help reduce the incidence of infections in preparation for Christmas and the time after Christmas. This should…

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First corona vaccine shows 95% protection against COVID 19 – approval is on the way

The vaccine developed by the German company Biontech and the US company Pfizer shows a protection of 95 percent. The application for emergency approval is to be submitted in the USA shortly. Production will start this year. BioNTech, a biotech company based in Mainz (Germany), and its U.S. partner Pfizer have cleared the decisive hurdle for a possible approval of their corona vaccine in the U.S. After a final analysis of the pivotal study, the vaccine has shown a 95 percent protection against Covid 19 infection, the two companies announced…

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Current Corona figures for Austria: For the first time, over 100 deaths in one day

How many people are hospitalized, which districts are most affected? The daily updated overview of all relevant corona figures for Austria. In view of the almost 6,000 laboratory-confirmed new infections, Health Minister Rudolf Anschober yesterday spoke of a “stabilization at a dramatically high level”. Now the aim is to gradually reduce the numbers. Now: From Tuesday to Wednesday, over 7,000 cases are likely to be confirmed again. The figures are not yet official – for a complete overview, Vorarlberg has not yet registered. However, it is fixed: For the first…

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17,561 new infections in Germany

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported 17,561 new infections within 24 hours in the Federal Republic of Germany on Wednesday. That is 3,142 more new infections than the day before. The total number of detected infections thus rises to 833,307. 305 more people died from or with the virus according to the data. The number of deaths thus increases to 13,119. Meanwhile, in south of Australia, a six days lockdown has been imposed. After a recurrence of corona cases in the Australian metropolis of Adelaide, the state of South Australia…

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Lockdown: Church boosts online offerings again

Public church services are suspended during the lockdown period up to and including 6 December. However, the Catholic Church in Austria is once again increasing its offer of church services via television, radio and social media. In addition, there are many other online activities with which the church wants to fulfill its pastoral duties under difficult conditions. On the web page of the archdiocese Vienna (www.erzdioezese-wien.at) there is a live stream of the Holy Mass from Monday to Saturday at 12 o’clock, presided over by the cathedral pastor Toni Faber.…

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Day one in a hard lockdown

Austria has folded up its sidewalks, because since Tuesday the hard lockdown has been in effect. Most of the stores are closed, many people are in their home offices, and in the morning there were significantly fewer children on the road than usual. Especially in the cities yesterday, the picture was completely different than the day before. But this time it is not quite as quiet as in spring during the first lockdown. The lockdown was also clearly felt in Lower Austria. In many cities there was something like the…

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Madrid region wants to test all inhabitants by Christmas

In the Spanish capital region around Madrid, all 6.6 million inhabitants are to be tested for the coronavirus by Christmas. Yesterday, the conservative regional president Isabel Diaz Ayuso submitted a request to the EU Commission to allow antigen tests in pharmacies throughout the European Union. The Spanish central government refuses to give the green light for this. The region of Madrid and the central government have been at loggerheads over the pandemic for months. Ayuso pointed out on Twitter that such tests are already possible in France, Great Britain or…

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Walking, playing and driving in the second hard lockdown

During the second lockdown, not only the public life, but also the social life is again significantly restricted. We are bringing some important questions and answers that deal mainly on regulations about walking, playing and driving. Question: Can I go jogging or walk with someone? Answer: It depends on two things: with whom and why you want to go jogging. If you meet up to go jogging with a close relative (parents, children, siblings) or a close person (with whom you have physical contact several times a week), this is…

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