Category: Austrian News

A new strain of flu is currently spreading in Austria. Experts are urging caution and prevention. The flu is making itself felt earlier than usual this year, by a few weeks. “Influenza virus detections have recently increased in Austria. Compared to previous seasons, this is about two to four weeks earlier,” explains virologist Monika Redlbeger-Fritz from MedUni Vienna and head of the national influenza reference laboratory. In addition, after two relatively harmless flu winters, it looks as if Austria is facing a severe flu epidemic this time around. This is…

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Last year, Austrians donated over a billion euros again. However, with a total of 1.07 billion euros, the overall amount declined slightly for the second year in a row. On Wednesday, the Fundraising Association Austria cited inflation, recession, and a growing number of crisis hotspots as the reasons for this decline. However, the proportion of donors in society (79 percent) is at an all-time high. Donations were particularly affected by the flood disaster in eastern Austria in 2024. Environmental and animal welfare causes also saw an increase. Support for development…

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To enable stress-free strolling and shopping in the run-up to Christmas, there will again be driving bans on Innere Mariahilfer Straße and Neubaugasse on shopping Saturdays in the pre-Christmas period. Christmas sales are expected to rise slightly this year The traffic restrictions apply on shopping Saturdays on November 29, December 6, December 13, and December 20, as well as on December 8. The section of Innere Mariahilfer Straße between Getreidemarkt/Museumsplatz and Stumpergasse/Kaiserstraße, as well as the section of Neubaugasse up to Westbahnstraße, will be closed to traffic, including bicycles and…

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The flu season is approaching, while COVID-19 continues to be present. Markus Zeitlinger from the University Clinic for Clinical Pharmacology at MedUni Vienna recommends caution, vaccinations, and, in suspected cases, testing for SARS-CoV-2, as well as medication for people over 60 and risk groups. The Corona vaccine continues to protect “Similar to 2024, wastewater monitoring has already shown a fairly sharp rise in viral load this fall. Almost a third of hospital admissions for severe respiratory diseases in recent weeks were due to Covid-19,” Markus Zeitlinger told the APA. More…

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In the run-up to Christmas, it’s not just parcel volumes that increase—fraudulent SMS messages are also on the rise again. RTR warns against fake messages from parcel services, banks, or authorities. With the start of the intensive online shopping phase before Christmas, Rundfunk und Telekom Regulierungs-GmbH (RTR) is once again seeing a significant increase in fraudulent text messages. In October, just under 700 complaints were received, slightly fewer than in the previous month, but the authority expects a sharp increase soon. The reason is apparent: the high number of parcel…

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Icelandic airline Icelandair (https://www.icelandair.com/de-de/) has published an analysis of European cities with a special winter atmosphere, in which Hallstatt in the Salzkammergut region came out on top and Austria is represented by a total of three cities. When the first frost sweeps across the land and the scent of mulled wine wafts through the streets, many people start looking for the ideal winter travel destination. Interest in this has risen significantly in Germany recently: 13,000 Google searches for the term “winter trip” last month represent an increase of 45 percent…

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Only in Copenhagen is the global language spoken better than in Vienna. There are various reasons for this. Every year, the EF English Proficiency Index publishes a ranking that compares countries and regions according to their average level of English proficiency. 2.2 million adults took a test that measures reading, writing, speaking, and comprehension. The results show that the English skills of Viennese people are the second best in a global comparison (countries where English is the national language are not tested). Vienna ranks behind Copenhagen but ahead of Stockholm,…

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Snow in Vienna: This weekend, there will be a light snowfall for the first time, with up to 1 cm of fresh snow and frosty nights in the suburbs. Things will get a little more exciting on Friday morning, according to Ubimet meteorologist Nikolas Zimmermann: Then “light snowfall is temporarily in sight again, this time with the southwest of Vienna having the best chances. With a little luck, it may also briefly dust the ground in the direction of Rodaun and Kalksburg.” Depending on the intensity, the snow line will…

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Although we are still in the middle of November, the flu is already making itself felt this year – about four weeks earlier than usual. After two relatively harmless flu winters, it looks as if Austria is facing a severe flu epidemic this time around. A look at Western Europe in particular is cause for concern: in the UK, for example, a new influenza variant called H3N2(K) is causing an early and severe start to the season. As reported by orf.at, this variant is also being closely monitored in Austria.…

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