U.S. manufacturer Moderna plans to start supplying its CoV vaccine to the European Union as early as December – provided the product receives regulatory approval. The company announced this yesterday. It confirmed the conclusion of a framework agreement with the EU Commission. According to the agreement, initially 80 million vaccine doses are to be delivered, with an option for 80 million additional units. “Moderna expects to begin shipping mRNA-1273 to the European Union in December 2020,” the company confirmed. Strategic partners in Europe are Lonza in Switzerland and Rovi in…
Read MoreMonth: November 2020
Germany extends partial lockdown until December 20
In order to contain the pandemic, private gatherings with friends, relatives and acquaintances in Germany are limited to a maximum of five people from one’s own household and one other household. Children up to 14 years of age are not covered by the regulation. This was announced yesterday evening by German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) after her consultations with the state premiers in Berlin. The strict restrictions will be relaxed over Christmas, however. From December 23 to January 1, a maximum of ten people are allowed to meet; children up…
Read MoreBiden calls on USA to unite in fight against virus
US President-elect Joe Biden has called on the Americans to unite in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. “I know that the country has grown weary of fighting. We must not forget that we are at war with the virus, not with each other, not among ourselves,” Biden said yesterday in his home town of Wilmington, Delaware. Biden addressed the Americans on the occasion of today’s holiday Thanksgiving with admonishing words. On Thanksgiving, families and friends usually come together for big celebrations. Biden again urged Americans to refrain from doing…
Read MoreAnonymous benefactor donates 1 million euros: live on ORF show “Licht ins Dunkel”
There were strict security measures at the “Licht ins Dunkel” TV gala. Among the prominent guests were President Van der Bellen, Chancellor Sebastian, Vice Chancellor Kogler and world star Andrea Bocelli. Strict security measures, no audience, but a world star at the “Licht ins Dunkel” TV gala on Wednesday. After everyone had undergone a corona test, the star guests of the evening faced the press. Andreas Gabalier presented his new Christmas album and donated a huge amount. Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli came at the side of his wife Veronica Berti:…
Read MoreOpening plan after the hard lockdown
On Wednesday, the Council of Ministers gave the green light for the first corona mass tests and the vaccination strategy. What is new is that the western provinces of Vorarlberg, Tyrol and Salzburg will start their mass tests for the population earlier. Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) also announced that the Council of Ministers would decide on an opening plan next week. But it is already clear that the schools and retail outlets will be the first to open on 7 December – subject to security measures. “Corona infection rates…
Read MoreCorona: Czech Republic crossed threshold of 500,000 infections
The Czech Republic has exceeded the threshold of half a million confirmed corona infections since the beginning of the pandemic. Health authorities reported an increase of 5,854 cases within 24 hours to a total of 502,534 on Wednesday, bringing the total number of corona deaths in the country of about 10.7 million people to just under 7,500. The number of new infections would not decrease as quickly as hoped, said Minister of the Interior Jan Hamacek after a crisis meeting in Prague. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Andrej Babis spoke out in…
Read MoreSurvey: Vaccination readiness against Covid-19 increases in Austria
A recent Gallup Institute survey shows that more than half of the Austrian population, 56 percent, wants to be vaccinated against Covid-19 if the vaccine is safe and effective. About two weeks ago, the percentage of people willing to be vaccinated was still 46 percent. The highest approval is among the over-50s (64 percent), men (65 percent) and people with higher educational qualifications(66 percent). Those who refused a vaccination said 87 percent were afraid of side effects, while 70 percent thought that vaccines only serve the pharmaceutical companies to make…
Read MoreNikolo may come despite lockdowns
Despite lockdowns, the Nikolo does not remain locked out: The government explicitly includes it in the “legal grounds” for the Covid 19 emergency measures ordinance. The Nikolo visit, together with the extension of the initial restrictions for another ten days, will be decided today, Wednesday, in the main committee of the National Council, the Chancellor’s Office announced. Professional purposes, including volunteer work, especially for blue-light organizations, were already considered a legitimate reason to leave the house in the lockdown. Now, according to the Chancellery, it is to be specifically added…
Read MoreNew all-time high for deaths in Poland
Poland has reported more coronavirus deaths within one day than ever before since the beginning of the pandemic. Within 24 hours 674 people died in connection with the virus, the Ministry of Health announced today in Warsaw. This means that there are now almost 15,000 Covid-19-related deaths in the country, and 15,362 new infections within one day. This brings the total number of reported cases to more than 924,000. The country has about 38 million inhabitants. Following Slovakia and Italy, Poland is now also preparing coronavirus mass tests. In three…
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