Biontech: Could adapt vaccine in six weeks

Biontech says it can adapt its vaccine within six weeks should a mutation become necessary. The German pharmaceutical company said it had already made preparations with U.S. partner Pfizer for such an eventuality months ago. Initial batches of the adapted vaccine could be delivered within 100 days, according to the company. Biontech is currently testing the effectiveness of its own vaccine against the new coronavirus variant first detected in South Africa. “We understand the concern of experts and have immediately initiated investigations into variant B.1.1.529,” a Biontech spokesperson said today.…

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Expert: Vaccinations “almost certainly” less effective against B.1.1.529

Currently available Corona vaccines are “almost certainly” less effective against the new B.1.1.529 variant discovered in southern Africa, according to a British expert, James Naismith, professor of structural biology at Oxford University, told the BBC 4 Today radio program on Friday. He added that it is not yet possible to say with certainty whether the variant is also more easily transmissible, based on the available data. “We suspect it is, and there is some early data,” Naismith continued. If easier transmissibility is confirmed, it is inevitable that the variant will…

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12,245 new infections and 51 corona deaths in Austria

On Friday, 12,245 new infections were reported in Austria. This is the second day in a row that the 7-day incidence has decreased to a current level of 1,054, compared with the previous Friday’s record of 15,809 new Corona cases. Today’s new infections are also below the previous seven-day average of 13,918. The number of active cases also decreased slightly, to a current 152,362. New test recordThere are also 51 new deaths related to Covid 19 infection to report, bringing the pandemic death toll in Austria to 12,284 so far.…

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Incidence rises to 438.2 RKI reports 76,414 new infections

The 76,414 new infections reported by the RKI again represent a record high. There is no end to the negative records: with 76,414 new infections and a seven-day incidence of 438.2, the RKI again reports record highs. The incidence has been rising steadily for three weeks, and the number of deaths has exceeded 300 for the fourth day in a row. The number of new Corona infections reported to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) within one day has again reached an all-time high. Health offices reported 76,414 cases in 24…

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Digital EU vaccination passport: Vaccination loses validity after nine months without booster

The EU Commission has proposed a booster vaccination for the continued validity of the digital EU vaccination passport. After nine months at the latest, the third Corona vaccination must have taken place, otherwise the validity of the vaccination certificate will expire. New travel recommendations expected“We propose a validity period of nine months for the EU-wide vaccination certificate, after which it would lose its validity without proof of a booster vaccination,” Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said Thursday in Brussels. Booster vaccination needed after nine months for valid vaccination certificateThis period takes…

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First snow expected in Vienna

“On Friday it will snow in many regions of Austria. Only at very low altitudes it is still rain or sleet in places. Black ice due to freezing rain is also possible, especially in the eastern half of Austria. The snow line is mostly between 200 and 400 meters, in East Tyrol, Carinthia and southern Styria partly still around 1,000 meters,” elaborated Thomas Krennert of ZAMG. “On Saturday, it will snow and rain at times, especially on the southern side of the Alps, everywhere else it may clear up a…

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Traffic light: All of Austria deep red

All of Austria remains deep red on the CoV traffic light, i.e. in the maximum risk range. This emerged from the meeting of the responsible commission yesterday afternoon. The committee sees “the medical care of the Austrian population in large parts of the country seriously threatened”. The announced vaccination obligation is expressly welcomed, likewise third sting and child inoculation. Measures in the school sector are seen only as a “last resort”. The Commission recommends pushing “booster vaccination”, which could make a significant contribution to curbing the current wave. In view…

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WHO: Half a million people in Europe saved by vaccination

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that CoV vaccinations have saved the lives of at least half a million people in Europe alone. The WHO’s Copenhagen-based European office released a report yesterday that said a total of 470,000 lives have been saved in the over-60 age group alone in about 30 European countries since the vaccination campaign began. The estimate does not include the under-60 age group. The survey published by WHO draws on data from more than half of the 53 countries in the European Region. Based on these…

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Researchers warn of new corona variant with many mutations

The B.1.1.529 variant was first detected in Botswana. Six cases have also been detected in South Africa According to scientists, there is a new covid variant that has an “extremely high number” of mutations and can trigger further waves of disease by evading the body’s defense mechanisms. Only 10 cases in 3 countries have been confirmed by genome sequencing, but the variant has caused great concern among some researchers because a number of mutations could help the virus evade immunity. Variant B.1.1.529 has 32 mutations in the spike protein, the…

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