Category: General Interest

The number of people fleeing due to war at home and abroad continues to rise. 3.4 million have already left the country. According to UN figures, the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine has already forced around ten million people to flee their homes. These people have fled to other places within Ukraine or outside the country, the head of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi, wrote on the short message service Twitter on Sunday. According to the UNHCR, almost 3.4 million people have fled the war…

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In Austria’s 3,000 Roman Catholic parishes, members of the parish councils are elected today. 4.3 million Catholics aged 16 and over are eligible to vote. The size and composition of the bodies that help shape and organize parish processes vary greatly. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference recently emphasized the importance of this body and called for participation in the election. At last count, around 45,000 people belonged to parish councils throughout Austria, 28,000 as elected members. The dioceses cannot come up with concrete results of the parish council elections on Sunday.…

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Maybe you should pay more attention to the expiry date of your food in the future after all. A Harvard University study shows that eating food past its expiration date could lead to an earlier death. The study results were published in the journal “Science Advances.“ Harvard professor Vadim Gladyshev investigated the causes of aging. He found that molecular damage to human cells is partly responsible. Moreover, this damage could be caused by eating old food. “This damage is produced by almost every cellular process. So over time, we have…

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There were more positive PCR tests in Austria’s schools this week than in the previous week. A total of around 19,600 infections were registered during the screenings. In the previous week, there were just under 19,000 registered coronavirus infections. Across Austria, nine schools (last week: eight) are completely closed and an additional 1,198 classes (previous week: 856) are entirely or partially obstructed. 6,582 positive corona tests at Viennese schools In Vienna, 6,582 pupils (previous week: 5,266) were registered with infections, whereby a different test system, “Alles gurgelt,“ is used here…

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After a GECKO meeting on Friday, Health Minister Johannes Rauch commented on the new measures. Mandatory wearing of masks indoors to be reintroduced At the moment, masks are only compulsory in vital areas throughout Austria. That means in supermarkets, public transport”, pharmacies, and banks. Vienna is taking”a stricter approach, making masks mandatory in all indoor areas, i.e., in shops “or concerts. The federal government is also tightening the r”ins again. At 6 p.m., Health Minister Johannes Rauch announced at a press conference that, among other things, mandatory masks would be…

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Novavax and Valeva are the latest two vaccines against Covid-19. Apart from vaccines, research is also being done on medicines, and there have been successes in this area. From the middle of next week, the treatment of Covid 19 patients in Austria could become more accessible. Then, with the active ingredient combination nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid), the first oral therapy on prescription should become more widely available in Austria. Experts explained this on Wednesday evening at an online doctors’ training session organized by the Austrian Society for Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine…

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The increasing daily numbers of Ukrainian refugees pose significant challenges for the domestic authorities. Above all, a traffic jam has formed in the registration process, as figures from the Ministry of the Interior show. Since the beginning of the war, 164,000 people have entered Austria from Ukraine. More than 80 percent traveled, so about 30,000 will stay; 9,000 have been registered. Registration is necessary in order to later obtain a displaced person’s identity card and thus have access to the labor market. Registration is not necessary for medical care, food…

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The possible tightening and reintroducing protective measures have been a considerable discussion in the health sector during the past days, as the number of COVID infections continues to rise in Austria, including the comeback of the mandatory use of FFP2 masks. At the moment, masks are only compulsory in vital areas throughout Austria. So in the supermarket, in public means of transport, pharmacies and banks. The city of Vienna takes a stricter approach; here, masks are compulsory in all indoor areas, including shops and concerts. And the federal government may…

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So far, about 7,000 people who fled Ukraine because of the Russian attack have sought protection in Austria. They registered here this week, giving them a right of residence and access to the labor market. According to the Interior Ministry, about 150,000 refugees have already landed in Austria, but most of them travel on to other countries, often to relatives and friends. Shortly, refugees will also be transported from Moldova to Austria using an “air bridge.” It is being prepared in cooperation between the Interior and Foreign Ministries and UNHCR…

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