Month: September 2021

Corona: 117 million children do not go back to school

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Because of the Corona pandemic, schools around the world have been closed for the past year and a half. As a result, 117 million children are still not going back to school. “The longer schools remain closed, the worse the consequences,” the UN education agency UNESCO stressed in a statement released Friday in Paris. Potentially, this would cause permanent damage in terms of children’s health and education. Because of the closed schools, children have learned less, and the number of school dropouts has increased, stressed UNESCO’s education representative, Stefania Giannini.…

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Nearly two million deaths each year because of poor working conditions

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Poor working conditions cost the lives of 1.9 million people a year, according to a UN study. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), strokes and heart disease are the main causes of premature death for about 1.2 million men and women, it said. Workplace accidents caused about 360,000 deaths. The study, unveiled Friday, was prepared by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labor Organization (ILO). As the WHO also reported in May, overwork is a particularly large and rising risk factor. Working too many hours was linked to about…

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606 school classes in Vienna currently in quarantine

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This week, there were about 1,100 positive PCR tests at schools in Austria. For Vienna alone, that meant 606 classes at 525 schools had to be closed and students quarantined.This week, 1,121 corona cases were detected during PCR testing at schools. Through the Ministry of Education’s “Everything Flushes” program, which is conducted at elementary schools in Vienna and in other provinces at all ages, there were 530 cases. In the “Alles gurgelt” program, through which all students from the fifth grade are tested in Vienna, 591 tests have struck, as…

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U.S. experts in favor of third-party vaccination for the elderly and at-risk groups

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A U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expert panel recommends booster vaccinations with Biontech/Pfizer’s drug only for the elderly and at-risk groups. The influential group of scientists concluded yesterday, after hours of discussion, that available data did not justify a universal rollout of a third dose of the vaccine to people older than 16. But for seniors over 65 and members of at-risk groups, a third dose would make sense, they said. U.S. President Joe Biden had advocated another dose for anyone whose second vaccination was more than eight months…

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Number of corona cases in children explodes

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Corona numbers continue to be on the rise. CoV cases are currently piling up, especially among children and adolescents. As autumn approaches, the Corona situation in Austria is getting worse. For several weeks, a constant increase in the number of new infections recorded daily has been observed. Most recently, the government presented a step-by-step plan to counteract the current trend in numbers. The new tightening plan is primarily linked to one factor, namely the nationwide utilization of intensive care units with Corona patients. Depending on the “percentage hurdle,” i.e., whether…

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Booster is also recommended for this vaccine

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The protective effect of the Moderna vaccine wears off over time. The vaccine manufacturer advocates for a booster. According to the vaccine manufacturer Moderna, the vaccine protection would weaken or diminish over time. This conclusion was reached after evaluating new data from extensive studies, the U.S. company said. The studies also supported the case for booster vaccination. On Sept. 1, Moderna had submitted initial data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for consideration of a booster vaccine, according to an APA report. According to the vaccine manufacturer, a booster…

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Booster works strongly – but remains controversial

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A new study from Israel shows how well booster vaccinations against Covid-19 work. People over the age of 60 were eleven times less likely to be infected after a “third prick” than those who had only been vaccinated twice, and serious illnesses were even almost 20 times less likely to occur. Whether booster vaccinations are generally useful, however, remains controversial. The World Health Organization (WHO), for example, is against it in view of the still very low vaccination rates in many developing countries: “We don’t want booster doses for healthy…

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2,364 new infections in Austria

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From Thursday to Friday, 2,364 new cases were registered. Compared to the previous week (2,341), this is a small increase of 23 cases. The 7-day incidence is up slightly to 163.37. In addition, 12 new Covid-related deaths were reported in the past 24 hours. Since yesterday, however, current case counts are no longer to be used as the main gauge for action on the pandemic. What counts from now on is rather the occupancy in the intensive care units. Currently, there are 202 intensive care patients. This is the same…

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World organizations call for more vaccine doses for poor countries

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The International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) have called on countries with high vaccination rates to provide more vaccine supplies to poorer countries. In a joint statement, the organizations said they were concerned that without action, a global vaccination rate of at least 40 percent by the end of 2021 would not be achievable. The group also calls on vaccine manufacturers to prioritize their contracts with COVAX and AVAT, an African distribution program, and to improve transparency by…

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