Category: General Interest

The Corona pandemic also has an impact on the liturgy on Ash Wednesday, with which Lent begins in the Catholic Church: so this year the ash rite is administered “without the usual Ash Wednesday prayer and without touching”, as determined by the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship worldwide. This year, therefore, the faithful will not receive an ash cross on the forehead, but the ashes will be scattered on the head. “This form, which is common in other countries, reminds us in a very sober, realistic and obvious way of…

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Nursing training instead of unemployment: with this approach, the city wants to combat the glaring shortage of nurses on the one hand and the high unemployment rate on the other. The city is therefore now paying 4,100 unemployed Viennese a 400-euro bonus per month for training – in addition to unemployment benefits. By 2030, Vienna will need 9100 additional nurses. This is the result of a study by the umbrella organization of Viennese social institutions. On the other hand, 154,688 people in the capital did not have a job in…

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U.S. pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson has applied for approval of its coronavirus vaccine in the European Union (EU). The Amsterdam-based European Medicines Agency (EMA) said Tuesday it has received an application for “conditional marketing authorization” from Johnson & Johnson’s European subsidiary. So far, vaccines from Biontech/Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca have been approved in the EU. Johnson & Johnson had already filed for emergency approval of its vaccine in the U.S. nearly two weeks ago. If the company manages to secure approval, experts say it will significantly simplify the vaccination…

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Med-Uni Graz, in collaboration with Stanford University in California and AGES, has produced the first-ever study on the risk of re-infection with coronavirus. The result: one illness probably provides 91 percent protection against reinfection. The study is based on national infection data. The results were published in the “European Journal of Clinical Investigation,” Med-Uni Graz announced. However, the results should still be interpreted with caution. More than 100 million people worldwide and more than 400,000 people in Austria have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 so far. In prevention efforts, the question…

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In two weeks, on March 1, the government will again discuss possible new opening steps. Until then, the development after the latest relaxations will be observed. The various virus mutations are dangerous, the situation is “not predictable”. “Great caution” is still necessary, Kurz emphasized. In any case, the decline in the number of Corona deaths is positive, he said. “Around Easter at the earliest” gastronomy and hotels can expect to be unlocked, Kurz said. Also Schanigärten may not open until then, assisted Anschober. Inns and hotels have already been closed…

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Following Biontech/Pfizer’s vaccine, the World Health Organization (WHO) is now recommending AstraZeneca’s vaccine for use. The WHO granted emergency approval today, as reported in Geneva. It did so following the recommendation of its Independent Vaccination Council (SAGE). In addition to efficacy and safety, WHO also reviews the quality of the factories where the serum is manufactured for such approval. The WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL) is a prerequisite for UN agencies to purchase and distribute the vaccine. Similarly, countries that do not have their own capacity for scientific testing can…

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After a meeting with Corona experts (including virologists Elisabeth Puchhammer-Stöckl and Monika Redlberger-Fritz, mutation expert Andreas Bergthaler, the chairwoman of the National Vaccination Panel, Ursula Wiedermann-Schmidt, and Federal Rescue Commander Gerry Foitik) took place at the Federal Chancellery from 10:30 a.m. on Monday, representatives of the parliamentary parties joined the government and experts at noon, and from 1 p.m. the heads of the provinces also joined them. The federal government informed about the outcome of the talks on Monday afternoon. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) spoke of a currently “stable infection…

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The ban on Tyroleans entering Germany came into force today, Sunday. German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer reiterated that the entry rules will be strictly controlled. “Anyone who is not one of the few exceptions cannot enter the country,” the CSU politician told Bild am Sonntag. He said he expected delays. “Due to the controls, there may be waiting times here and there. The federal police will not simply wave through the traffic.” Controversial is the regulation for commuters. According to the new text of the entry quarantine regulation, Bavaria wants…

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Vienna. Minus 29.4 Degrees, it was in the night to Saturday on the Dachstein (Styria). This is the lowest temperature measured so far this winter by the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics. At Sonnblick in Salzburg it was only 25.3 degrees. At low altitudes, however, the previous lowest values of this winter were not undercut for the time being: Minus 24.2 degrees were already measured on January 11 in St. Jakob im Defereggental (East Tyrol), minus 23.5 in Lienz, also on January 11. Blue sky. However, it was still…

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