Category: General Interest

Health Minister Rudolf Anschober spoke to “Ö1-Morgenjournal” about the new relaxations and who now checks at the hairdresser. The government agreed on Monday on soft opening steps from February 8. Schools, trade and body-related service providers may open under strict security requirements. Here’s the rundown on all the new rules. “It is urgent that the population gets a perspective and that we get by reasonably well in the next few weeks until Easter,” Health Minister Rudolf Anschober explained the opening steps in the “Ö1-Morgenjournal”. According to AGES, 29.8 percent of…

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The entry regulation will be further tightened. For the first time, commuters will also be required to test and register: Once a week, a negative CoV test with corresponding proof must be carried out. In addition, registration as part of the “Pre Travel Clearance” will be mandatory, Interior Minister Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) announced today. Furthermore, the fines for violating the mask and distance obligation will be significantly increased. Instead of the previous 25 and 50 euros, an organ mandate will cost 90 euros for violations of the MNS obligation or…

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Researchers apparently found a new combination of two mutation variants in a virus in some samples. One consequence could be implications for vaccination protection.As recently discovered mutations of SARS-CoV-2 continue to spread, British scientists are warning of a new mutation. They are testing samples of the coronavirus for mutations on behalf of the British government. Now researchers have apparently found a combination of two variants in one virus. The BBC reports that some samples showed an altered genetic profile of the virus. The altered spike protein E484K, found in the…

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Expert panel recommendation: but with logistical problems with mRNA vaccines, there is nothing to prevent use of Astra-Zeneca vaccine in people 65 plus.The 18 members of the National Immunization Panel at the Department of Health and Human Services unanimously recommend use of the Astra-Zeneca vaccine in the 18- to 64-year-old age group. “There are sufficient good safety and effectiveness data for this age group to recommend the vaccine as having good efficacy against symptomatic infection and severe morbidity (hospitalization, intensification, death) for 18- to 64-year-olds,” according to the preamble to…

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MANILA, Philippines—the Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced that they will be lifting the travel restrictions on the 36 countries with reported cases of the new Covid-19 variants starting Feb 1, following a directive from the Inter-Agency Task Force Against Emerging and infectious Diseases (IATF). However, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente clarified that other travel restrictions remain in place. “We are still limiting the entry of foreign nationals to the country, following the IATF,” said Morente. “Generally speaking, tourists are still not allowed to enter the country,” he added. Current restrictions only…

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As of Monday, the government will consult with experts, state governors and opposition leaders on the way forward in the fight against the pandemic. After six weeks of lockdown, there could be the first opening steps starting Feb. 8: in retail, in service providers close to the body and in schools – which are expected to return to face-to-face classes in shifts. However, the lockdown will not end, given the still-high infection numbers. “The mutations are putting the brakes on a complete relaxation,” Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) said in a…

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FFP2 masks, unlike FFP3 masks, “are not virus-proof masks,” explains virologist Norbert Nowotny of the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna in an interview published by APA. This has to do with the smaller number of filter layers. Nevertheless, FFP2 masks would protect against viruses. The pore size of the filters is 600 nanometers, he said. SARS-CoV-2 viruses are only 100 to 120 nanometers in size, Nowotny explains, but they move in the air in the form of tiny droplets (aerosols) or adhere to dust particles. These are usually larger than…

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“The first vaccines were available just before Christmas, and today more than 82 million doses have already been vaccinated worldwide – that’s unprecedented.” Austrian Infectiologist Herwig Kollaritsch is confident about the start-up of “the largest vaccination campaign in human history.” Most doses have been administered so far in the U.S. (about 25 million), China (23 million), the U.K. (8 million) and Israel (4.5 million) – meaning Israel has vaccinated the largest share of the population so far (about 33 percent). Friday also saw new trial data from two other manufacturers:…

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US vaccine maker Moderna will initially deliver fewer doses than expected to Italy in February. Government Commissioner Domenico Arcuri told the press in Rome on Friday that the US company had said there should be a 20 percent reduction. The EU Commission, which is centrally responsible for vaccine procurement, said possible supply problems from Moderna were currently being discussed in the steering committee. Arcuri said, according to the ANSA news agency, “Moderna has just informed us that for the week of Feb. 9, 132,000 of the planned 166,000 doses will…

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