Stores open today for exceptional reasons

Domestic retailers are allowed to open for the first time today due to an exemption. However, the one-time special regulation does not apply to supermarkets and drugstores. Due to the lockdown, stationary trade this year has fallen by three shopping Saturdays in Advent and the traditionally strong Immaculate Conception Day. However, the open Sunday before Christmas will only be able to compensate for a fraction of the lockdown sales loss. Retail researchers at the University of Linz expect additional sales of 150 million euros. According to estimates, sales on open…

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Omicron infects 70 times faster, but less severe

Chinese researchers were able to determine in a study that Omicron attacks the bronchial tubes more than the lungs. Progression is milder. A study led by researchers at the University of Hong Kong’s LKS Faculty of Medicine (HKUMed) provides the first information on how the new Omicron infects people’s airways. The researchers found that Omicron infects and replicates 70 times faster than the Delta variant and the original Wuhan variant. This could explain why Omicron may be transmitted between people faster than earlier variants. Their study also showed that Omicron…

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Omicron: London declares state of emergency

The British capital London has declared a state of emergency today due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. “The increase in Omicron cases in our capital is very worrying,” Mayor Sadiq Khan announced. “That is why we are again declaring a disaster emergency.” Khan pointed out that the number of patients in London’s hospitals is again rising sharply. The city had already declared a disaster emergency at the beginning of January. At that time, the health system was on the verge of collapse. In concrete terms, this means…

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Tens of thousands cases with fake parcel delivery text messages

The Corona pandemic with its lockdowns has led to more and more activities being shifted to the Internet. Cyber attacks have long since ceased to target only companies. “Cybercrime has arrived in our living rooms,” explained Natascha Kantauer-Gansch, head of private customers at A1 at an online press conference on Friday. “We receive hundreds of customer inquiries every day about fake text messages.” Currently, the most common method of attack are so-called “flu bots.” This form of “Trojan” disguises itself as an SMS from well-known parcel delivery companies and asks…

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Fewer Corona cases with 2,167 new infections

The 2,167 new infections reported on Saturday by the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Health represent a further decrease compared to the previous day (2,899), in addition, the number is also significantly lower than the average of the past seven days (3,121). The seven-day incidence fell to 244.5 cases per 100,000 population. There was also a decrease in hospitalizations as well as deaths. The highest number of new infections occurred in Lower Austria (416), followed by Vienna (391), Tyrol (334) and Upper Austria (312). 307 cases were…

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Coronavirus worldwide: Japan extends entry restrictions, Dutch health experts recommend tough lockdown

About 273 million people have tested positive for the virus worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 5.3 million infected people have died. More than 8.5 billion vaccine doses have been administered worldwide. Moderna wants to revise its vaccine because of the Omicron variant. However, it is far from certain when it will be launched on the market. The Japanese government will extend entry restrictions for foreigners beyond the end of the year in light of the spread of the Omicron variant. The daily Yomiuri reported Saturday (Dec. 18)…

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Daily serving of yogurt could help lower high blood pressure

People with high blood pressure have an increased risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke. No wonder that millions of sufferers take antihypertensives in the form of medication. A recent study has now shown that regular consumption of yogurt can also lower blood pressure. However, some questions remain unanswered. Yogurt is known to be one of the healthiest dairy products when it does not contain added sugar. Due to its lactic bacteria, it not only promotes digestion, but can also contribute to a healthy immune system. At least in…

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Only 2G+ or boosted: stricter entry regulations starting Monday

Austria is tightening its entry regulations to curb the omicron variant. The new regulation will come into force next Monday, the health ministry announced Friday evening. In the future, only men and women who have valid proof of 2G will be allowed into Austria. Otherwise, travelers must be quarantined. Self-isolation can only be avoided by having a PCR test valid for 72 hours or proof of a booster vaccination. However, those who are neither freshly tested nor have already had their third sting must be quarantined from December 20 after…

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So far 80 Omicron cases detected in Austria

80 cases of the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus have been detected in Austria until the previous week. This is according to the variant report of the Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), which was updated on Friday. In the previous calendar week, there were 46 detections, compared with 2,558 cases of the delta variant from random samples of the total 29,458 new infections. The most Omikron cases, 37 so far, are in Vienna. The Omicron variant was classified as a variant of concern by the World Health Organization…

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