Weather: beginning of the week with snow, on Wednesday mildness

Unsettled weather remains this week in Austria, with temperatures in particular subject to fluctuation. On Wednesday, the thermometer may climb back up to 10 degrees, then it will go steeply downhill again.Central Europe is under the continuing influence of low pressure and on the edge of an extensive blocking high over the Atlantic, cool air masses of Arctic origin also enter the country at the beginning of the week. On Monday, the unsettled and cold weather will continue. Clouds will dominate from Vorarlberg to the Waldviertel, in the congested areas…

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Omicron: New variant, different disease symptoms

Pain in the limbs and extreme fatigue – that’s how Angélique Coetzee, chairwoman of the South African Medical Association, describes the cases of infection with the new Omicron variant detected so far in her home country. She says symptoms are “mild but unusual,” with none of the patients so far complaining of loss of smell or taste, for example. “There is currently no evidence for a change in disease severity,” said Christian Drosten, chief virologist at Berlin’s Charité hospital, as well. However, he said, it is too early to make…

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Why the new Corona super-variety is called Omicron

The new Corona variant Omicron is causing headaches not only because of its spread, but also because of its name. Over the weekend in Geneva, the World Health Organization (WHO) explained why it chose this particular Greek letter as the name for variant B.1.1.529 when it classified it as a concern: it was to avoid misunderstanding and stigmatization. The UN health agency moved some time ago to gradually name emerging variants using the Greek alphabet. This was done to prevent the places where mutants first appear from being used as…

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Tightening of entry requirements at Vienna airport due to new virus variant

Austrian travel returnees from South African countries are to be identified. They must show a negative PCR test and enter a ten-day quarantine. The Austrian Armed Forces are inspecting and keeping an eye on transfer airports, Ö1’s “Morgenjournal” reported Sunday. The tightening of entry requirements has been in effect since Saturday. South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia and Eswatini have been classified as virus variant areas. Entry from these countries is prohibited. In addition, a landing ban has been imposed on flights from these seven African countries. Strict requirements…

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10,478 new corona infections in Austria on Sunday

More than 10,000 new infections with the coronavirus were registered in Austria again on Sunday. According to the figures of the Ministry of Interior and Health, 10,478 new cases were added within 24 hours (as of 9:30 a.m.). As of Sunday, there were thus a total of 148,603 active cases in Austria, 3,668 fewer than the day before. In intensive care units, the number of Corona patients grew by twelve to 620. Since Saturday, 39 deaths have been recorded. That’s down from the seven-day average of 53.3 daily. In the…

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Austria now in PH’s red list until Dec. 15 due to COVID-19

The Philippines has imposed travel restrictions on seven more countries as it updated its “red list” effective November 28, Malacañang announced Sunday. Acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles announced that those added to the “red list” or the list of areas considered as high-risk for COVID-19 are Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy. Travel restrictions in these seven countries will be until December 15. In a statement, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said the following countries are now under the red list: South Africa Botswana Namibia Zimbabwe Lesotho Eswatini Mozambique…

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Germany incidence reaches peak again at 446.7

Germany’s seven-day incidence of new corona infections has again reached a high. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) recorded an incidence of 446.7 on Sunday, up from 444.3 on Saturday. The figure indicates how many people per 100,000 inhabitants have contracted the corona virus in the past seven days. Health offices reported 44,401 new infections to the RKI, which is 1674 more than a week ago Sunday. So far, more than 5.76 million people have tested positive for the virus. 104 more people died in connection with the coronavirus, bringing the…

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1st Sunday of Advent: Background of the Advent wreath

Advent is a special time for many families. Contemplative mood, anticipation of Christmas, the smell of cookies and festive music characterize the time. But the Advent wreath is also an important pre-Christmas custom. Traditionally, many people weave it from fir branches and decorate it with four candles. On each Sunday in Advent, one more is lit. The Christmas wreath represents the remaining days until Christmas Eve and symbolizes the solemnity of this special time. The history of the Advent wreathThe Wichern Advent wreath – or: how it all began…But where…

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Omikron – What we know about the new Corona variant

The new coronavirus variant “B.1.1.529” is currently attracting all scientific attention. The variant was first spotted in mid-November in Botswana, where three cases have since been sequenced. Six more have been confirmed in South Africa and one in Hong Kong in a traveler returning from South Africa. Meanwhile, cases have also been reported in Israel and Belgium. While in the rest of South Africa, the Covid 19 pandemic has slowed down considerably in the current spring there, Gauteng province has recently seen a massive increase in new infections: It is…

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