Category: Feature Stories

Washing hands and keeping your distance were the first recommended measures in the fight against the coronavirus. Later, when it became available, the mask was added. But now a new study on the distance rules raises doubts about the effectiveness of the requirement. You know the drill by now: Mandatory mouth protection, minimum distance, hand washing and every now and then contact restrictions and closed stores and pubs or even curfews. At least with regard to hand washing and keeping a distance, the experts agreed from the outset that these…

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Austria and several other EU countries are taking part in the first technical test phase for the “Green Passport”. Because the EU countries are at different speeds in implementing the “Digital Green Certificate,” “a pilot project has been set up for the group of faster countries to accelerate their connection to the central infrastructure” – the gateway, the Ministry of Health announced. Austria is also part of this group, it said. The test will take place from May 10 to 21. Only artificial dummy data will be used,” the ministry…

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Starting on May 19, Austria wants to take a step towards normality again. For most people, normality also includes traveling. No matter whether in Austria or however also into the neighbouring foreign country. From May 19, for areas in the categories “Green”, “Yellow” and “Orange” there will be free entry without quarantine and without entry tests. From the “Red” category, entry will be allowed only for those who have tested negative, recovered or vaccinated. All entrants who do not meet one of the three criteria must be quarantined. Definitely in…

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Negative PCR tests or rapid antigen tests are only temporary means to fight the spread of the corona virus according to the Medical Association. To be sure, Corona vaccination is the “gold standard.” The presidents of Austria’s regional medical associations have taken up a lance for vaccination in advance of the planned openings. “Vaccination is the ‘gold standard’ to be safe,” Medical Association President Thomas Szekeres stressed Wednesday. Everyone should sign up for a vaccination appointment as soon as possible to help get back to a normal life, he said.…

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In Europe, more than 50 million people have been infected with the novel pathogen since the start of the Corona pandemic. A total of 50,021,615 infections had been recorded in the continent’s 52 countries and territories, including Russia, by Wednesday evening, AFP news agency calculated based on official figures. This represents about one-third of the world’s detected Corona cases. A good 1.38 million new infections were reported across Europe in the past seven days. More than 1.06 million infected people have died in Europe since the pandemic began. Several countries…

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The number of infections in Indian megacities is exploding. Researchers fear that this is due to a new corona mutation that has now reached Europe. How dangerous is B.1.617? India is home to more than a billion people. So far, the country has coped quite well with the corona crisis – even though millions of people live in megacities under precarious conditions and in cramped spaces. But since this week, infection rates have exploded in New Delhi and Mumbai, the country’s two largest cities: On Thursday, 200,000 people contracted the…

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More contact and no exit restrictions: Calls for relaxation for vaccinated people are growing louder. But what protection does a Covid 19 vaccination even offer? All four Covid-19 vaccines approved so far in Europe are equally effective at protecting individuals and containing the pandemic, according to authorities and experts. They are believed to prevent much of the severe and potentially fatal disease. But exactly how good is the protection after Corona vaccination?Which Corona vaccine protects well against the virus?Depending on the vaccine, the likelihood of contracting Covid-19 decreases significantly in…

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World Health organization is monitoring the Indian virus variant but has not yet classified it as a concern, a WHO spokeswoman said in response to a request for comment in Geneva on Monday. So far, it is not clear to what extent the variant is partly responsible for the rapid increase in cases in India, she said. There are many factors that could have contributed, she said. For example, festivals and events with large numbers of participants have taken place recently, it said. In addition, B.1.617 is spreading alongside other…

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If you haven’t done it yet, you should definitely make time in your schedule for your annual spring cleaning. Because the reward is not only a clean, hygienic and tidy home, but also a more voluminous brain. This is the conclusion of a recent study from Canada. If that’s not motivation to clean: housework increases the gray matter in the brain. “Science already knew that exercise has a positive effect on the brain, but our study is the first to show that the same could be true for housework,” summarizes…

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