Category: General Interest

Predictions show that the omicron subtype BA.2 will soon outpace the current BA.1. The reason: even faster portability.According to new findings, the omicron subtype BA.2, which experts closely monitor, appears to differ significantly in specific characteristics from the corona subtype BA.1, which is still dominant in Austria. This is indicated by most Japanese researchers’ study data published in preprint – i.e., without peer review. Differences include the arguably significantly higher transmissibility of BA.2 and immune response and pathogenicity. Based on the recorded differences in human cell samples in the laboratory…

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BioNTech founder Ugur Sahin expects to ship a CoV vaccine tailored to the Omicron variant in April or May. First, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) must wait for data relevant to approval, and the entrepreneur told Bild live today. BioNTech and its U.S. partner Pfizer make an mRNA-based CoV vaccine. They are currently working on developing a version tailored to Omicron. Sahin meanwhile assessed the overall situation in the pandemic as much more relaxed. He said that an end to the coronavirus is not expected in the next five to…

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CoV vaccinations with the preparation of the U.S. manufacturer Novavax could probably be possible as early as next week. The Ministry of Health announced that the protein-based vaccine would be available from the coming calendar week. However, “An exact delivery date has not yet been communicated by the manufacturer.” Currently, more than 31,300 Austrians have signed up to be vaccinated with Novavax, according to a roundup in the provinces. Austria has ordered 750,000 doses of Novavax for the first quarter of 2022. The aim is to target, in particular, those…

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Vienna has once again opted for a stricter path. The federal capital will not support all the opening steps announced by the federal government on Wednesday. That’s because while Omicron has “entered a new phase of the pandemic,” this doesn’t mean “we have to be reckless,” said Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ). So the 2-G rule in the restaurant industry will not be repealed on Feb. 19. Ludwig had already announced this but reaffirmed it on Wednesday after the federal and state governments summit. “Wherever you can not wear FFP2 mask…

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U.S. vaccine manufacturer Moderna anticipates an Omikron-specific booster in August. “We believe a booster vaccine will be needed. I don’t know yet if it will be the existing vaccine or just Omikron or a bivalent: Omikron plus existing vaccine, two mRNA in one dose,” said Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel. He said that the company is still collecting clinical data to determine whether the Omikron-adapted vaccine will provide better protection than an additional dose of the existing vaccine. source: orf.at/picture: pixabay.com

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Following the press conference of the federal government, Vienna’s mayor presented the roadmap for the national capital. The federal capital has recently always taken a stricter approach to corona protection measures than the rest of the country. To continue to protect hospitals from overcrowding, Vienna will open, but with caution. “We want to remain cautious,” says Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ). The wearing of FFP2 masks is to be retained throughout the trade. This is the “least means of restriction,” says Ludwig. Therefore one wants to hold, at least for up…

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Omicron subtype BA.2 is gaining dominance in Austria – and is expected to leave BA.1 behind in the coming weeks, according to the Covid Forecast Consortium. According to new findings, the omicron subtype BA.2, which experts closely watch, seems to differ significantly in specific characteristics from the Corona subtype BA.1, which is still dominant in Austria.This is indicated by study data published in preprint – i.e., without peer review – by most Japanese researchers. The differences include the probably significantly higher transmissibility of BA.2 and the immune response and pathogenicity.…

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On February 19, the 2G obligation will change to a 3G commitment in the restaurant industry. On Wednesday, the federal governments announced relaxations of the Corona measures in two stages. Find out exactly which rules will fall on February 19 and March 5. As of February 19, for example, the 3G rule, in particular, is to replace the stricter 2G rule. From March 5, it will also be permissible to party more when the catering industry resumes its normal operations. The government continues to adhere to the vaccination requirement. Relaxations:…

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According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the global number of new CoV cases dropped by nearly a fifth last week. Between Feb. 7 and Feb. 13, some 16 million cases were reported to the U.N. agency in Geneva – 19 percent fewer than the previous week, WHO said this evening in its latest CoV statistics. The pandemic’s preliminary peak was reached in the last week of January when more than 22 million cases were reported. After that, the numbers began to drop in early February. Also, last week, fewer…

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