Category: Feature Stories

The emergence of new variants of coronavirus inevitably makes us more vigilant. Mutations from the Covid 19 virus pose a major threat. But what is now becoming known about the Omicron variant combines good and bad news in an interesting way. Some experts even see the light at the end of the tunnel, should Omikron be the dominant version of the coronavirus that caused the pandemic. Highly contagious, but perhaps with only mild symptomsTedros Adhanom, head of the World Health Organization, spoke Dec. 8 about preliminary data on Omicron. He…

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The two journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitri Muratov will receive the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo on Friday (from 13.00). The Filipino and the Russian will receive this year’s prize for their fight for freedom of expression. They will be presented with their prestigious Nobel medals and diplomas at a corona-cut award ceremony at Oslo City Hall. Last year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), will also be at the ceremony. A festive Nobel banquet in the evening has been cancelled due to Norwegian Corona…

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The federal government has presented the four-party agreement on the draft of the general vaccination requirement, which is planned to take effect in February 2022. Compulsory vaccination is to apply to all persons residing in Austria from the age of 14. Exceptions are provided for pregnant women and those who cannot be vaccinated for health reasons, as well as for convalescents (for 180 days). The penalty range is up to 3,600 euros, and fines are imposed quarterly. Compulsory vaccination could come into force in FebruaryThe draft law for the so-called…

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A laboratory study by the Institute of Virology of the Medical University of Innsbruck shows that the immune system inhibits the new virus variant Omicron significantly worse. Neutralizing antibodies in blood samples of recovered and double vaccinated persons were examined. This showed that vaccination protection declines significantly within a few months. Study author and virologist Dorothee von Laer urgently called for booster vaccination in an APA interview. Even those who have recovered should definitely be vaccinated to prevent a repeated corona infection. Initial studies from South Africa indicate that convalescents…

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The Ministry of Social Affairs finalized on Thursday the upcoming Corona vaccination requirement in Austria. The government has fixed the details of the coming vaccination obligation in Austria. The agreement was not only reached as an ÖVP-Green government, but the SPÖ and NEOS are also on board. The “COVID 19 Compulsory Vaccination Act” was created especially for the project. This vaccination obligation interferes with fundamental rights, but “under certain conditions, the legislator is entitled to restrict fundamental rights,” according to the Ministry of Social Affairs. The reason given for the…

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The 3rd booster vaccination is expected to be about as effective against the new Corona variant as against the wild type when vaccinated twice. Pfizer-Biontech on Wednesday announced initial preliminary results from laboratory tests on the Omicron variant. These showed that three doses of Pfizer-Biontech’s vaccine neutralized the Omicron variant. If only two vaccine doses have been received, the neutralization titer is lower. From the results, initial insights into the protective effect can be derived, even if laboratory tests do not fully reflect real-life conditions. The newly obtained data suggest…

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Biontech/Pfizer’s vaccine apparently offers only partial protection against the Omikron variant of the coronavirus. That was announced by laboratory director Alex Sigal of the Africa Health Research Institute in South Africa based on preliminary results. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) considers it “highly unlikely” that Omicron could completely undermine vaccine protection. Biontech CEO Ugur Sahin expects reliable data on this on Wednesday or Thursday. He said there was a very large drop in the neutralization of omicron. The neutralization of Omicron had “decreased very much” compared to a previous…

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FFP2 masks offer extremely high protection against corona infection. However, it depends on the correct way of wearing them, as researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization in Göttingen report according to a study. If an infected and an uninfected person meet in an indoor space at a short distance, the risk of infection is a good one per mille (0.1 percent) even after 20 minutes. The prerequisite is the correct fit of the FFP2 or KN95 mask, writes the team around Institute Director Eberhard Bodenschatz in…

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Always on December 6The excitement when St. Nicholas comes is part of childhood and dressing up as St. Nicholas is part of adulthood. But where does the custom come from? Which countries celebrate it? What’s the difference between St. Nicholas and Santa Claus? Here are some amazing facts about St. Nicholas Day. But who actually is St. Nicholas?The figure of Nicholas is probably based on two historical figures: Bishop Nicholas of Myra, from the 4th century, and Abbot Nicholas of Sion, who lived about 200 years later. Both lived on…

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