Category: Feature Stories

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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The European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced today, Thursday, that it will publish the outcome of its deliberations on Novavax’s vaccine on Monday. This means the vaccine could be approved before Christmas. Many who are not now vaccinated have been waiting months for Novavax’s inactivated vaccine. The main difference between it and the mRNA vaccines, which some have questioned, is that inactivated spike proteins are injected. In contrast, with mRNA vaccines, the spike protein is first formed by the body’s own cells – according to the blueprint that is injected. The…

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According to the latest AGES variant report, there are now 71 infections proven to be attributable to this new coronavirus variant. According to the report, the first five omicron cases were recorded in calendar week 47 (November 22-28). For the time being, the delta variant is still predominant and clearly dominant in Austria. With the exception of Vorarlberg and Styria (EMS case data status: December 14, 7:00 a.m.), there are now confirmed Omicron cases in all other federal provinces: in Vienna 37, in Upper Austria 15, in Lower Austria seven,…

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In Austria, 59 infections with the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus have been confirmed so far. Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein said at a press conference in Vienna on Tuesday. 49 of them were detected by PCR test, the other ten were sequenced. There have been six cases in the federal capital alone so far. Mückstein also announced that the National Immunization Panel (NIG) will soon issue a recommendation for booster vaccination for children and adolescents aged twelve and older. Accordingly, the department head expects the NIG’s recommendation as early…

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59 Omicron cases currently in Austria. New variant is more infectious, but courses could be milder. Vaccination booster works and is recommended for ages 12 and up. There are currently 59 Omicron cases in Austria, plus dozens of suspected cases. Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein gave an update today with molecular biologist Andreas Bergthaler (CeMM), Katharina Raich, Director General for Public Health, and Herwig Ostermann, Managing Director of Gesundheit Österreich (GÖG). “We already know a lot about the new virus variant, but not enough yet,” Wolfgang Mückstein said at the outset.…

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A two-dose Covid 19 vaccine does not produce sufficient neutralizing antibodies against the Omicron variant, according to a British study. Oxford University scientists came to that conclusion after laboratory tests on blood samples from vaccinated people who received the vaccine from AstraZeneca or BioNTech/Pfizer. However, they said there is no evidence yet that the lower antibody levels with Omicron lead to a higher risk of serious illness or death. Neutralizing antibodies not enough“These are important data, but they only show part of the picture. They only look at neutralizing antibodies…

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