Category: General Interest

Booster vaccinations against the coronavirus offer seniors a high level of protection against a severe course, even in the case of infection with the Omicron variant, according to a recent analysis. Three months after the third vaccination, the protection against hospitalization is around 90 percent, according to the British health authority UKHSA at the beginning of the weekend. After only two doses of vaccination, the protection against severe courses three months after vaccination is about 70 percent, after six months still at 50 percent. Protection against corona infection with mild…

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School starts again on Monday after the extended Christmas vacations. The Minister of Education Martin Polaschek is already calling for testing for the corona virus over the weekend. The requirements have remained unchanged: As before the holidays will be tested at least three times a week regardless of vaccination status, even in class mask must be worn. In addition, compulsory attendance remains suspended. Education Minister Martin Polaschek is already calling for testing this weekend. All children have been given three antigen tests to take home before the start of the…

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Today, Saturday, especially on the northern side of the Alps, some snow will fall in the first half of the day. From noon on, the snowfall will ease and the clouds will clear, away from the northern Alps it will still be sunny at times. In the Danube region, a moderate westerly wind will freshen, on the eastern edge of the Alps a brisk westerly wind in places. Highs will range between -3 and +5 degrees. Sunday will be generally cloudy, especially on the northern side of the Alps snow…

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Vienna – Starting next week, Austria-wide mandatory 2G controls in retail will become serious. Currently, as is well known, a lockdown continues to apply to the unvaccinated. They are only allowed to leave the house for certain reasons – for example, for the daily supermarket or drugstore shopping or to stock up on cigarettes. Starting next week, “the control pressure is to increase significantly,” as announced by Chancellor Karl Nehammer. At “points of interaction” – for example, at the entrance to a store – businesses will be required to carry…

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In the past week, there has been a significant increase in the number of infections with the coronavirus during leisure time in Austria. This is confirmed by the current epidemiological clarification of the Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES). 12.6 percent of all cases in which the source of infection could be clarified were attributable to this setting. In the first three weeks of December, the leisure sector had contributed six to eight percent to the incidence of infection. Significant increases in infections also occurred in the hotel and…

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The year 2022 will also bring changes in mobility: For example, the digital driver’s license will be introduced. As of March 1, 2022, the parking sticker and short-stay parking zone in Vienna will be extended to the entire city. The period of validity and duration will be standardized – also in the existing short-stay parking zones – to two hours from Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 22:00. Area-wide parking sticker in Vienna from March 1, 2022From March 1, parking in Vienna will only be permitted with a parking permit…

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Are we seeing the emergence of more dangerous viral variants? The World Health Organization has warned of this in light of the Omicron variant of the Corona virus. The more Omicron spreads and multiplies, “the more likely it is to give rise to a new variant,” WHO emergency response expert Catherine Smallwood said Tuesday in an interview with the AFP news agency. WHO emergency expert speaks of ‘dangerous phase’“We are in a very dangerous phase,” Smallwood stressed. “We are seeing very sharp increases in infection rates in Western Europe, the…

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The expert panel “Gecko” prepared facts and figures before the federal-provincial summit today, Thursday. The government will eventually announce the concrete measures based on the presentation of the Covid Crisis Coordination. A “hard lockdown” is apparently not an issue. Calls for quarantine relaxationsAt 11 a.m. Thursday, the federal government will consult with the states and experts on the current Corona situation. The “all-state Covid Crisis Coordination” (Gecko) did not make any specific recommendations for concrete measures at its meeting on Tuesday afternoon, according to information obtained by APA. Accordingly, the…

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Omicron is already causing new infection numbers to skyrocket. “We have to slow down Omicron and keep the country running,” said Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein yesterday on Twitter. “Wear mask even outdoors if 2m distance doesn’t work out. A well-fitting FFP2 is still essential protection.” If possible, work from a home office, he said. And, “Protect yourself with vaccination.” The second dose lowers the risk for a severe course, he said, and the third dose reduces it even more significantly and effectively. Omicron is more contagious than its predecessor Delta,…

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