Category: General Interest

Pope Francis officially kicked off Christmas celebrations at the Vatican with a festive Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. The Mass was held Friday evening with a limited number of participants, about 200 people, including 26 cardinals and 18 bishops, to protect against contagion. The 85-year-old pontiff presided over Christmas celebrations at the Vatican for the ninth time this year. The traditional Christmas Mass on Dec. 24 in St. Peter’s Basilica was moved up – as it was the previous year – and began at 7:30 p.m. In 2020, the Vatican…

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Pope Francis will give his traditional blessing “Urbi et Orbi” (To the city and the world) this Saturday on Christmas Day. From the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, he also plans to proclaim his Christmas message to the faithful, according to the Holy See. With the blessing, the Pope remits to them the punishments for their sins. It is usually given at Easter and Christmas – and when a new pope has been elected. This year, the Corona pandemic is once again dominating Christmas celebrations at the Vatican. At the…

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Fake police officers are currently calling victims indiscriminately and accusing them of crimes. In order to drop the accusations, they then demand money. A new scam is currently being detected: The scammers contact their victims by phone and accuse them of being involved in drug smuggling, identity theft and money laundering. As “evidence,” they send a document purportedly written by the Director General of Public Security, Dr. Franz Ruf. The scammers demand a payment of 2,000 euros in order to refrain from any further “investigations” against the victims. The callers…

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Anyone celebrating Christmas together with friends and relatives this evening should, if possible, observe a few safety measures, says environmental physician Hans Peter Hutter. He recommends, for example, not to sing under the Christmas tree. “Coronaviruses can waft in the indoor air for a long time and from this follows: Please ventilate. Every half hour circa one to two minutes is enough to also not cool down the whole apartment,” recommends the specialist in hygiene and environmental medicine in the “Vienna Today” interview. How long the Omikron variant of the…

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The National Immunization Panel (NIG) last night released updated recommendations for use of the CoV vaccine. In it, the panel writes that in light of the Omicron variant, the rate of third vaccinations should be “increased as soon as possible.” To have a lasting impact on the pandemic, reducing viral circulation by maximizing vaccination coverage must be the long-term goal, it said. Due to a lack of scientific data, the fourth vaccination is not generally recommended at this time, he said. “However, given the threat of an omicron wave, it…

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On Wednesday, the federal government and state governors discussed the situation. Katharina Reich, head of the new crisis body “GECKO” (Gesamtstaatliche Covid-Krisenkoordinierung) explained the new Covid rules starting December 27. An overview of the new Covid rules: Christmas rulesOn December 24, 25 and 26, the still-applicable lockdown for the unvaccinated will have a break, at least for celebrations among small groups of friends and family. For gatherings of up to ten people, it doesn’t matter what their immune status is. For larger gatherings of 11 to 25 people, 2-G proof…

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In the midst of the pandemic, the Church celebrates the feast of the birth of Jesus, that is, Christmas. In the midst of death, suffering, exhaustion, fear, in the midst of anger, hatred, division and aggressiveness, Christians celebrate faith in life. We believe that never death, but always life will be stronger. The story of Christmas is familiar to us humans – even if we don’t necessarily profess a religious church or faith community: Mary and Joseph, the Bible tells us, find retreat and security as a family for the…

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According to data from U.S. pharmaceutical company Novavax, the vaccine Nuvaxovid should also provide effective protection against the coronavirus variant Omicron. The company reported an effective immune response – even against the delta variant – in a release Thursday. A third dose – called a booster – would increase that immune response even more, the first results of a study of the vaccine’s effectiveness in adolescents and as a booster showed. The immune response was as much as two to four times higher in adolescents than in adults. Novavax also…

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FFP2 masks are actually intended for single use only. That’s what it says in the instruction leaflet or on the packaging. In everyday life, however, things are usually quite different: shopping at the supermarket, then a quick trip to the post office, picking up the kids from kindergarten – all with the same mask. Afterwards, the mask remains in the jacket pocket so that it can be reused the very next day. That’s convenient and saves money. But does the mask then still protect against infection with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus…

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