Category: General Interest

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has discussed possible cooperation on vaccines with French President Emmanuel Macron and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. The exchange via video link also dealt with the Russian Corona vaccine Sputnik V, whose EU approval is to be decided by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), government spokesman Steffen Seibert said Tuesday evening. “This evaluation is done according to the same standards that are applied to all other vaccines,” it said. According to Kremlin sources, among the issues discussed were prospects of “possible supplies and joint production of this…

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The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is currently conducting a rolling review of the approval of the Russian CoV vaccine “Sputnik V”. There is no result yet. Nevertheless, the government is currently negotiating with Russia on a delivery of one million doses of the vaccine to Austria. Delivery could start as early as April. Kurz and Anschober: vaccine must be safe“There must be no geopolitical blinkers when it comes to the vaccine. The only thing that should count is whether the vaccine is effective and safe, not where it comes from,”…

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The green passport is supposed to give vaccinated people more freedom. But it is not a clean bill of health, some measures will continue to apply to them. In the EU committee of the Bundesrat, the EU proposal on the “digital green certificate”, which is to give vaccinated people more freedoms,had been debated on Monday. The Union is working towards an entry into force on June 26. Austria, however, is moving ahead with its own “green passport” and wants to implement it as early as the end of April. Although…

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Willhaben users are flogging the free Corona gargle tests available at Bipa in Vienna on the sales platform. On the private sales platform willhaben.at gargle tests can currently be found, which the population in Vienna can get for free at Bipa. Partly up to 20 euros per test are demanded, some sellers also give away packages with 8 pieces around 50 or 80 euros. On Twitter, corresponding screenshots were posted with the request to Willhaben to remove the offers. City of Vienna strongly advises against purchaseThe City of Vienna is…

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The government plans to offer Corona vaccination to three-quarters of the Austrian population over 16 by early July. However, this would require more than doubling the number of initial vaccinations. That’s because last week only 143,189 people received the first dose of their Corona vaccination, according to figures released Monday by the vaccination registry. Overall, 12.7 percent of all Austrians are currently vaccinated – among those over 85, the figure is six out of ten. A total of 227,576 vaccinations were carried out last week, which is only 770 more…

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Stricter Corona measures will apply to the eastern provinces from Maundy Thursday. A first draft of the ordinance on Easter rest is already circulating in media. Austrian daily newspaper Kurier reports that Health Minister Rudolf Anschober (Greens) will consult with the governors of Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland from 12 noon today, then with the social partners. In the afternoon the regulation should then stand. Originally, the Eastern shutdown is planned from April 1 to 6. As the KURIER learned from city hall circles, Vienna’s mayor Michael Ludwig will demand…

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The container ship “Ever Given” has been stuck in the Suez Canal for about a week. Now rescue teams reported a first success. The container ship “Ever Given”, which ran aground in the Suez Canal, has been freed after being blocked for days. The 400-meter-long vessel has been returned to a floating condition and is being secured, maritime service provider Inchcape Shipping announced early Monday morning. It was initially unclear after the success report when the “Ever Given,” which was heading north in the canal on its way to Rotterdam,…

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Holy Week will be mild and sunny, but it should get colder at Easter. In the middle of the week up to 25 degrees expected, then on Good Friday there is a risk of rain showers everywhere. In Austria, a very mild and sunny Holy Week is in store. On Tuesday and Wednesday, up to 25 degrees are expected in some parts of the country, the experts of the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics (ZAMG) predicted on Sunday. On Good Friday, however, temperatures will drop somewhat and the risk…

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According to some health care experts, the Eastern Lockdown announced on Wednesday will probably not be enough to bring about a real turnaround in the overburdened intensive care units. That’s because it comes too late and is too short, virologists and epidemiologists as reported by the Austrian Press Agency (APA) on Thrusday. APA reports that the epidemiologist Gerald Gartlehner criticized the measures in the east for coming too late and lasting too short. Gartlehner assumes that after the Easter lockdown from April 1 to 6, we will seamlessly transition to…

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