Around 109 million people worldwide confirmed infected, Curfew in the Netherlands must be lifted

More than 109.08 million people worldwide have been confirmed to be infected with coronavirus. More than 2.5 million people died in connection with the virus. That’s according to a Reuters count based on official data. The U.S. is by far the country most affected by the pandemic, with nearly 27.8 million people infected and more than 487,000 dead. India has more than 10.9 million known cases of infection and more than 155,700 deaths. Brazil has recorded over 9.8 million infected and nearly 240,000 deaths. Curfew in the Netherlands must be…

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Over 1400 new infections in the past 24 hours

The number of new infections with SARS-CoV-2 in Austria continues to rise. Since Monday, 1427 new cases have been recorded. On average, 1435 new infected people were thus added every day last week. This is also reflected in the number of hospitalized patients: on Tuesday, 38 more patients had to be treated in hospital than on Monday. For the first time since the end of January, more than 10,000 new cases were recorded within seven days. The last time the weekly average was above this mark was on January 28,…

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Iceland returns to normality

Visits to the swimming pool and gym, meeting friends for a beer – what people in Austria, as in many European countries, can currently only dream of, is once again a reality in Iceland. Together with the Vatican, the country in the far north has the lowest incidence rate in Europe. In the past three weeks, the non-EU country of Iceland was the only European country that the EU’s disease control agency ECDC listed in the “green” category. That means, according to ECDC, there is no need for EU countries…

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Those who had Corona are similarly well protected as after vaccination

Med-Uni Graz, in collaboration with Stanford University in California and AGES, has produced the first-ever study on the risk of re-infection with coronavirus. The result: one illness probably provides 91 percent protection against reinfection. The study is based on national infection data. The results were published in the “European Journal of Clinical Investigation,” Med-Uni Graz announced. However, the results should still be interpreted with caution. More than 100 million people worldwide and more than 400,000 people in Austria have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 so far. In prevention efforts, the question…

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Chancellor Kurz: Around Easter at the earliest gastronomy and hotels could open their portals

In two weeks, on March 1, the government will again discuss possible new opening steps. Until then, the development after the latest relaxations will be observed. The various virus mutations are dangerous, the situation is “not predictable”. “Great caution” is still necessary, Kurz emphasized. In any case, the decline in the number of Corona deaths is positive, he said. “Around Easter at the earliest” gastronomy and hotels can expect to be unlocked, Kurz said. Also Schanigärten may not open until then, assisted Anschober. Inns and hotels have already been closed…

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Chancellor Kurz: Lockdown for gastronomy, hotel, culture until Easter

On Monday afternoon, the government informed about the current coronavirus situation in Austria after consultations. The federal government extends the lockdown for gastronomy, tourism and the cultural sector until “around Easter”. Expert consultations: No relaxationsA concrete date, when the industries concerned may unlock, was not announced. On March 1, this will be discussed again, said Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) on Monday afternoon, after consultations with experts, provinces and the parliamentary parties. Gastro and hotels remain closed until EasterInns and restaurants have been closed to contain the coronavirus since November 2,…

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WHO granted emergency approval for AstraZeneca

Following Biontech/Pfizer’s vaccine, the World Health Organization (WHO) is now recommending AstraZeneca’s vaccine for use. The WHO granted emergency approval today, as reported in Geneva. It did so following the recommendation of its Independent Vaccination Council (SAGE). In addition to efficacy and safety, WHO also reviews the quality of the factories where the serum is manufactured for such approval. The WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL) is a prerequisite for UN agencies to purchase and distribute the vaccine. Similarly, countries that do not have their own capacity for scientific testing can…

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Corona study: high infection risk can be in offices, supermarkets, fitness centers, etc.

Researchers at the Technical University of Berlin have published calculations of the risk of infection for various indoor scenarios: from hairdressers and supermarkets to movie theaters and gyms. “The point is that we are now entering the loosening phases,” said study leader Martin Kriegel. Multiple influencing factors taken into accountIn the calculations, which were not peer-reviewed by independent experts and have not been published in a journal, Kriegel and his TU colleague Anne Hartmann focus on common places such as theaters, restaurants and schools. Influencing factors taken into account are…

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Federal government: further openings not before Easter

After a meeting with Corona experts (including virologists Elisabeth Puchhammer-Stöckl and Monika Redlberger-Fritz, mutation expert Andreas Bergthaler, the chairwoman of the National Vaccination Panel, Ursula Wiedermann-Schmidt, and Federal Rescue Commander Gerry Foitik) took place at the Federal Chancellery from 10:30 a.m. on Monday, representatives of the parliamentary parties joined the government and experts at noon, and from 1 p.m. the heads of the provinces also joined them. The federal government informed about the outcome of the talks on Monday afternoon. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) spoke of a currently “stable infection…

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