Category: Feature Stories

In Lower Austria, the June temperature record was broken on Wednesday at 36.7 degrees. Vienna weather in detailJust before the end of the month, the June temperature record for this year, set ten days ago in Vorarlberg, was once again surpassed today (Wednesday) at the ZAMG weather station in Bad Deutsch-Altenburg in Lower Austria with 36.7 degrees. However, the values were away from the June record. Thus, it remains at the 38.6 degrees, measured on June 20, 2013, in Waidhofen/Ybbs, also in Lower Austria. Major temperature records between east and…

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Because of the milder corona courses caused by Omicron (and the problems caused by the many segregations), there are also considerations in Austria to change the quarantine and segregation rules. On Tuesday, a spokesman for Rauch explained (as published by APA) that the ministry is currently working on a variant management plan – and that “of course,” there are always plans and concepts on quarantine and isolation. One must always distinguish between contact persons and infected persons, he emphasized. The currently prevailing Corona variant also plays a role in the…

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The omicron sub-variant BA.5 is now also predominant in Austria. It is more contagious than the previously dominant variants. This is probably one reason infection numbers are not falling as in the past two summers. However, the European Union health agency ECDC sees no evidence that BA.5 leads to a more severe disease course in covid-19 compared to previous omicron lines. The same is true for the BA.4 subvariant, but there are indications that the two subvariants may again infect more lung cells and thus cause more severe courses. This…

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Vienna – The number of active Corona cases in Austria is expected to exceed the 100,000 mark again soon. At the same time, comparatively little is currently being tested. On Monday, just under 88,000 people were considered actively infected, compared to around 44,400 a week ago. Including those affected in quarantine, however, there are probably already more than 100,000 people in isolation. Corona-related outages are already causing problems for AUA. On Monday, 6,398 new infections were registered. Vienna, where the most testing is done, is the first province to have…

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In the race against mutating coronavirus, manufacturers have presented what they see as positive clinical data on adapted vaccines. For example, Pfizer/Biontech and Moderna recently published results showing that their adapted boosters stimulate an efficient immune response even against the newer omicron sublines BA.4 and BA.5. However, it is essential to note that the new vaccines are not specifically tailored to these variants but to the BA.1 subline, which is no longer circulating in Germany. There is now a debate about whether the approval process should not be shortened so…

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After two years of Covid, a lot of vacation hunger has piled up. But many vacation destinations are currently struggling again with high Corona numbers. It is true that, just in time for the start of summer, popular vacation destinations such as Egypt, Morocco, and South Africa have relaxed their entry regulations again. Nevertheless, the new Omicron sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5 could spoil the long-awaited break in no time. This is because several vacation destinations are currently struggling with high case numbers. Most of Europe’s corona infections are currently taking…

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Fifty-five percent support mandatory masks in public spaces. From Saturday to Sunday, 7,093 new Corona infections were recorded in Austria. While Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) still does not want to commit himself when the reintroduction of the mask obligation should take place. A survey conducted by OGM for the Austrian daily newspaper KURIER paints a clear picture. According to the survey, 55 percent of the 1,015 respondents favor reintroducing mandatory FFP2 masks in public areas such as supermarkets, shared offices, or public transportation. Forty percent are against it. Five…

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Microplastics are everywhere: on mountain tops, deep in the ocean – and already in our blood. We don’t see it, yet it could become a massive problem for us – and the planet. What is microplastic?Microplastic refers to plastic particles that are between five millimeters and 1000 nanometers in size. It comes from common plastic particles, for example, and has been scrubbed small over the years by wind and weather. The problem: carelessly discarded bags, bottles, or packaging do not decompose. Aging and decay processes create microplastics. It is in…

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Mainz-based pharmaceutical company Biontech and its U.S. partner Pfizer say they have developed an effective vaccine against the new variants of the coronavirus. Biontech said Saturday that data on the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of the two vaccines adapted to the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron variants are positive. The company is aiming for rapid approvalBased on the data, the companies are confident they have two “very strong” vaccine candidates in the fight against Omikron, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said. Biontech and Pfizer now plan to share the data with the…

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