Category: General Interest

As microbiologist Andreas Bergthaler reported on Twitter, a new SARS-CoV-2 recombinant has appeared in Austria. Samples have confirmed as yet undescribed recombination of BA.2 with the spike of BA.1.1. However, no striking property changes would be expected in this corona variant based on data to date. Therefore, the expert reassured there is no epidemiological or clinical cause for alarm. “Coronaviruses not only change individual genetic letters but can also exchange larger genetic regions,” Bergthaler explained via tweet. The prerequisite for this, he said, is that two viruses infect a host…

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This week, infection and testing declines have not yet been enough to move a state out of the highest-risk range on the CoV traffic light. However, several are now just shy of the 100 risk number, above which it moves to lower levels. On the positive side, the 14-day trend shows that the number of infections has declined everywhere. The risk figure, used to assess the risk situation based on various parameters, shows that the trend is downward rather rapidly. Carinthia, for example, was at 337 a week ago and…

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The EU Medicines Agency (EMA) does not currently consider a fourth CoV vaccination for all citizens necessary. It is now too early for a general recommendation, and the EMA was announced today in Amsterdam together with the EU health authority (ECDC). However, a fourth dose could be helpful for people 80 years and older, given the higher risk of severe CoV disease in this age group. “For adults aged 60 years and older with a normal immune system, there is no conclusive evidence that vaccine protection against severe disease decreases…

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Those who prefer to take their Corona test in Vienna’s pharmacies can look forward to April 11. From then on, you will be able to take your five free PCR tests there again. Free PCR tests are soon possible again On Monday, the Ministry of Health has agreed to this test possibility. In addition to pharmacies, the free PCR tests can also continue to be processed via “Alles Gurgelt,“ the gargle boxes, and test streets. “I would prefer it to be even faster,” Viennese Health Minister Peter Hacker said. However,…

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Without the extension in force, you would have had to pay extra again from July to make calls and surf in other EU countries. The abolition of roaming charges in the EU will be extended until 2032. The Member States decided to suspend additional costs for telephone or Internet use abroad in the EU for another ten years, as the Council announced on Monday in Brussels. Initially, the abolition of roaming charges was valid until June. Even after June, EU citizens would now be able to “make calls, send SMS…

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Frosty nights are still expected in the coming weeks. That can even happen well into May; there’s a reason Mamertus, Pancras, Servatius, Boniface, and Sophie are called the Ice Saints from May 11 to 15. It gets milder However, there is no need to brood about the cold for the current week. Today, Tuesday, the weather situation is still unstable – although not as cold as last weekend. Daytime highs between 8 and 17 degrees are expected, but this is in the south. On Wednesday, it will then generally be…

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A 60-year-old man in Germany has reportedly been vaccinated against Corona about 90 times since the summer of 2021 at vaccination centers in Saxony. He is suspected of forging vaccination cards and then reselling them to third parties. The criminal investigation department is investigating unauthorized issuance of vaccination cards and forgery, said a spokeswoman for the police department. The 60 years old man was caught at the end of March in a vaccination center in Eilenburg. “There were inconsistencies; he was already there the day before for vaccination,” the spokeswoman…

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Vienna weather in detail Towards the end of the week, maximum values of up to 20 degrees Celsius are expected, announced the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics (ZAMG) on Sunday in its forecast. The sun will also show itself. The week starts still cloudy and rainy Today, Monday, some compact cloud fields will initially make themselves felt in the south and southeast until the early afternoon, which will then gradually loosen up more and more often. In the rest of Austria, the sun will occasionally shine, even if there…

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The UN has documented the deaths of 1,417 civilians in Ukraine since Russian troops invaded. Among them were 121 children and young people, according to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva. According to the report, there was also verified information about 2,038 injured, including 171 children and adolescents. The figures included all cases documented up to and including Saturday. Five hundred four of the victims were from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine. However, the office believes that the actual numbers are…

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