Category: Feature Stories

Numbers are still declining, but because of the Omicron variant, there could be 15,000 new infections in Austria as early as the first week of January. This is what experts fear. Reproduction numbers are already likely to have increased significantly. The highly infectious Omicron variant of the coronavirus could fully capture Austria as early as the first week of January and then sweep through the country as a fifth corona wave with 15,000 new infections per day. This outlook was published by the Covid forecasting consortium on Wednesday afternoon as…

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Austria is once again making its Corona rules stricter. The closing time in restaurants will be brought forward to 10 p.m. starting Dec. 27. The maximum number of participants at events will be limited to 2,000, and that too with conditions. From variant states like Great Britain one can enter only with third sting without quarantine. Bringing forward of gastro curfew also on New Year’s EveFor the first time, these measures were no longer announced by the government, which met together with the provincial governors, but by the Director General…

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European Medicines Agency clears the way for Novavax vaccine to be approved in the EU. The Amsterdam-based European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended on Monday that the Corona vaccine from U.S. manufacturer Novavax be approved in the European Union. The responsible EMA committee recommended a conditional approval for 18-year-olds and older. All that is now missing is the approval of the EU Commission, but this is considered a mere formality. As Novavax has already announced in advance, the first shipments of the vaccine are expected to arrive in Europe as early…

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The vaccine, Nuvaxovid, is apparently close to approval by the EU Medicines Agency (EMA). The World Health Organization has already approved the vaccine, called NVX-CoV2373 COVID-19, for emergency use. According to studies, the vaccines from Moderna and Biontech, which have already been administered millions of times, are “quite a bit safer.” How does Nuvaxovid, the vaccine from Novavax, work?According to the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI), Nuvaxovid consists of virus-like particles that contain the coronavirus spike protein. The proteins are recognized by the body as foreign and the immune system is…

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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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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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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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The new entry regulations for Austria will come into force as early as December 20, 2021. Specifically, entry to Austria is now only possible for all persons with a valid 2-G proof. In addition, a valid PCR test must be presented if a booster vaccination cannot yet be proven. Austria tightens its entry regulations to contain the Omicron variant for all persons. The new regulation will take effect as early as next Monday, Dec. 20, the Health Ministry announced Friday evening. Entry to Austria only with 2G proofIn the future,…

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In the fight against the Corona variant Omicron, the EU is backing accelerated booster vaccinations. “Offering vaccinations to all and providing booster doses is crucial and urgent,” stated in the joint conclusions on the Corona pandemic adopted by European leaders at their Brussels summit. Brussels also plans to limit the validity of vaccination certificates for travel within the EU to nine months. As a result, a general vaccination requirement in the EU is not yet on the horizon. Both Austria and Germany have initiated such a measure, and in Germany…

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