Category: Feature Stories

The British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca sees the high efficacy of its Corona vaccine confirmed by now updated data, but had to correct it downward. The vaccine protects against Covid-19 with an efficacy of 76 percent – not 79 percent – the company announced Thursday morning, citing further data from a so-called Phase III study involving about 32,500 subjects. In people over 65, the figure was 85 percent, it said. This means that among the elderly subjects of a vaccinated group 85 percent less disease occurred than among those of a…

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Exit restrictions, closed trade, distance learning, and a mandatory FFP2 mask indoors: corona measures for Vienna, Lower Austria, and in Burgenland are being tightened. An “Easter rest”, distance learning, PCR tests, a FFP2 mask obligation indoors: the governors of Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland, Michael Ludwig (SPÖ), Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP) and Hans Peter Doskozil (SPÖ), as well as Health Minister Rudolf Anschober (Grüne) hope, after a marathon of negotiations, that these measures will be able to contain the number of infections with the coronavirus or one of its mutants: “We…

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Easter is for many Austrians the first opportunity to go on vacation, to take a vacation. This year not only because of the entry restrictions of other countries, but also because because Austria has been issued travel travel warnings of the highest level 6 for most countries. This means strict conditions such as a health certificate and a ten-day home quarantine. The State Department advises against all non-essential foreign travel. If one looks at the situation in the neighboring countries, it wonders whether it makes sense to leave: Germany is…

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In Austria, the British variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (B.1.1.7) was confirmed for the first time in four people on January 3, according to the Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES). In the meantime, this mutation has spread widely and is responsible for almost half of the new infections in Austria due to its easier infection. However, according to the AGES variant report, there has recently been a decrease from 61.2 to 48.3 percent. B.1.1.7 accounted for the majority of infectionsIn calendar week 9 (February 28 to March 6),…

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In the warmer season, many are drawn outdoors. The risk of corona infection is lower in the fresh air than indoors. So does the virus take a break in the summer? Experts say it’s not that simple. When temperatures rise in spring, the risk of catching a cold decreases, and flu viruses also gradually disappear. But does the weather also have an influence on the coronavirus? Scientists believe that seasonal effects may well influence the covid 19 pathogen. How does that affect the pandemic? “The seasonality of viruses that are…

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More than 45,000 people are currently considered actively infected with SARS-Cov-2 in Austria. Most, 43,000, are not in the hospital but in home care. But those who have more severe symptoms should also start medicinal treatment of the disease at home – in consultation with their family doctor. Largely uncontroversial is blood thinning with heparin, but more controversial is treatment with cortisone. The use of a pulse oximeter to measure oxygen in the blood is also specifically recommended. Blood thinner usefulCovid-19 can initially cause tiny thromboses in the smallest vessels…

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In almost all countries of the world, a supply of clean drinking water is not guaranteed.“World Water Day” today, March 22, aims to remind people of the value of clean drinking water as a life-enabling resource. By 2030, the UN aims to guarantee access to safe drinking water for all, according to its Sustainable Development Goals. “No one should take it for granted that we in Austria have crystal-clear drinking water available from the tap at all times,” said Agriculture Minister Elisabeth Köstinger (ÖVP) on the occasion of World Water…

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For the ninth time, the World Happiness Report has been published, a compass of where people in the world are happiest with their lives and surroundings. In recent years, the Scandinavian countries have always led the way. And this year, too, one of the Nordic countries is at the top. For Austria, there have been some changes in the ranking this time. By the way: This year’s World Happiness Report includes the Corona crisis in a comprehensive way. 2020 was a difficult year for all countries on this planet due…

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A young man wreaks havoc in several Atlanta massage parlors, and most of the victims are Asian women. A few days after the crime, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris travel to the city. While there, the U.S. president also denounces his predecessor’s anti-Chinese sentiment campaign. After the deadly attacks on three massage studios in the state of Georgia, U.S. President Joe Biden has condemned the increasing violence against Asian-American citizens during a visit to Atlanta and called for more commitment against racism. Hate and violence have “often been met with…

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