This week the number of 500,000 vaccinations will be reached – Health Minister Rudolf Anschober announced. According to a report published by oe24.at, the Health Minister contended that the situation should ease around Easter, especially among at-risk groups. What happens after that will be determined in a “clear strategy” for dealing with the virus. The work process on this is underway, said Anschober, who also announced to pay closer attention to after-effects, such as negative psychosocial effects, and to create perspectives for young people who are particularly suffering from the…
Read MoreMonth: February 2021
Corona: 1,818 new infections and 36 deaths in one day
Since the beginning of the week (1,225), the numbers increased steadily until they reached a peak of 1,967 new cases on Thursday. On Friday, the numbers decreased slightly. In the last 24 hours, 1,818 new infections were reported. Authorities also recorded 36 deaths in one day. Among new cases Austria-wide within the past 24 hours, 472 positive tests come from Lower Austria out of more than 8,811 PCR tests in the past 24 hours. This is followed by Vienna with 359, Styria with 266 and Upper Austria with 237 new…
Read MoreScammers posing as a ministry
The Ministry of Health warns of fake emails currently being sent to citizens and businesses in the name of the Ministry of Social Affairs. These e-mails contain “Bridging assistance III – Information and support for companies” as the subject. As sender address “post@sozialministerium.com” appears – this is not a valid mail address of the ministry! The mails are dangerous and contain malicious attachments. It is best to delete the e-mails immediately. The police have been informed and are investigating. source: gesundheitsministerium.at/picture: pixabay.com
Read More536 positive coronavirus ‘Nasenbohren’ tests at schools
Across Austria, a total of 536 positive coronavirus test results were reported at schools on Monday and Wednesday, according to the Education Ministry – out of 1.3 million “nasenbohren” self-tests. Affected are 364 students and 172 teachers. The highest number of positive results was in Vienna, with 250, and Lower Austria, with 103. This week, after the end of the semester break, the tests were on the children’s timetable for the first time throughout Austria in seven provinces. Those who wanted to take part in the face-to-face classes had to…
Read MoreConsumer protection: Air purifiers are no alternative at home
After a test by consumer protectors, it should be clear: In the home, air purifiers are not an alternative to the usual measures such as masks, ventilation and spacing, and in a 50-square-meter classroom with nearly 30 students, a single air filter would be far too small. In general, they can only reduce the risk to a limited extent, according to the testers. Germany’s Stiftung Warentest has sent the top three models from a spring 2020 air purifier test of seven devices back to the test lab, this time with…
Read MorePolice now warn against this Corona scam
The Vorarlberg police warns of a Corona fraud scam, in which the perpetrators pretend to be employees of the nursing association, for example. An as yet unknown man rang the doorbell at the apartment door in a residential block in Dornbirn at around 1:45 pm. When the elderly resident opened the door, the man told her that he was supposed to carry out corona tests in the name of the Mobile Assistance Service or the Nursing Association. The unknown man asked the woman to urinate into a cup so that…
Read More40 percent fewer passengers in Vienna
Wiener Linien carried around 40 percent fewer passengers in Corona Year 2020 than in the previous year. In total, around 574 million passengers traveled by subway, streetcar or bus in the previous year. Wiener Linien lost a total of around 110 million euros in ticket revenue in the previous year. In any case, the city now has to cover 75 million euros of the necessary additional demand via an operating subsidy. Among other things, tourists, who buy the majority of individual tickets, have been missing. Savings were also made, for…
Read MoreBiontech vaccine neutralizes virus variant B.1.351
According to a recent study, the Pfizer-Biontech vaccine probably also protects against the B.1.351 virus variant first identified in South Africa – although the number of antibodies formed against it is probably lower. This was reported by a research team in the “New England Journal of Medicine”. They had tested in the laboratory to what extent viruses with different mutations can be neutralized with the blood serum of vaccinated persons. In the variant, the number of neutralizing antibodies was lower, and the neutralization rate of the vaccine was reduced by…
Read MoreFFP2 mask obligation also possible in outdoor locations
The FFP2 mask requirement can now also be ordered by local authorities for certain outdoor areas. A spokesman for Health Minister Rudolf Anschober (Green Party) confirmed today that a corresponding decree, which previously allowed the ordering of mouth-nose protection outdoors, was adapted accordingly in February. In view of the further increasing number of new infections, the Minister spoke on Thursday of a “risk phase until Easter”. A duty also in the free one FFP2 mask to carry, exists at present already on outdoor markets, so Anschober on the edge of…
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