Category: General Interest

Austria is about to extend the lockdown. But a strict Corona measure will come into force as early as January 15. The federal government plans to decide this weekend how to proceed with the lockdown in Austria. The current lockdown is still valid until January 24, but could be extended due to the still high infection figures. In any case, the opening steps from January 25 onwards are shaky. But before the government decides on a possible extension of the lockdown in the country, a strict Corona rule will come…

Read More

From Friday, all those entering Austria must register online in advance. This also applies to Austrians. The current quarantine obligation remains in place until further notice, with free testing possible after five days at the earliest. Exceptions to both the quarantine and registration requirements continue to apply to commuters, transients and people entering the country for urgent family matters that cannot be postponed, such as funerals. The only countries exempted from the quarantine requirement, but not from the registration requirement, are Australia, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore,…

Read More

With around 500 million monthly active users, Telegram is moving closer to its US competitor WhatsApp. The messenger service Telegram has gained around 25 million new users within 72 hours. As Russian app founder Pavel Durov announced on Tuesday, the platform currently has around 500 million monthly active users. This brings Telegram closer to its US competitor WhatsApp. The surge in Telegram downloads came shortly after WhatsApp introduced new privacy terms. The new rules allow more data to be shared with parent company Facebook. The changes have drawn criticism because…

Read More

Vatican City, Jan 14, 2021 – The Vatican has confirmed the Corona vaccinations of Pope Francis and his 93-year-old predecessor Benedict XVI. The two were administered the first dose as part of the vaccination campaign launched in the Vatican City State, Press Office chief Matteo Bruni announced (Thursday). Earlier, two media had reported that the 84-year-old head of the Church had received the immunization on Wednesday. For privacy reasons, there were no photos of Francis’ immunization, the media reports said. In a TV interview Sunday night, the pope had promoted…

Read More

The likelihood of becoming reinfected after a coronavirus infection is extremely low, at least within five months, according to a new study from the United Kingdom. For the study, scientists from Public Health England examined 6614 healthcare workers who had tested positive for corona antibodies between June and November. Only 44 subjects were found to have a new infection within this five-month period. Thus, 83 percent of the study participants were immune for at least five months. The study has only been published in preliminary form and has not yet…

Read More

The corona mutation, first discovered in the United Kingdom, has now been detected in 50 countries. As the World Health Organization (WHO) further announced on Wednesday, in addition, another variant initially detected in South Africa has now spread to 20 countries. Both mutations have also already been detected in Austria. Recently, another virus variant has also been detected in Japan, which is causing concern, the WHO statement said. The further the virus spreads, the more opportunities there are for mutations. Therefore, the emergence of more mutations should be expected, it…

Read More

Signs point to an extension of distance learning in schools. According to plan, face-to-face classes were to start again as early as next Monday. But now schools could remain closed until the semester break after all. This has apparently been confirmed to the “Kronen Zeitung” from government circles. The daily newspaper “Österreich” also reports this. There is no official statement on this yet. Education Minister Heinz Faßmann wanted to announce a decision by the middle of the week at the latest. At the moment, according to the Chancellor’s Office, talks…

Read More

The majority of all old people’s and nursing homes will be vaccinated against the coronavirus within two weeks. In Lower Austria and Carinthia, this goal could already be achieved by the end of this week, said Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP). In a statement to APA, he expressed his delight that the accelerated vaccination strategy was working – and that the goal of coronavirus protection for the homes could thus be achieved much sooner than expected. About two-thirds of nursing home residents are currently being vaccinated in the first wave, Kurz…

Read More

U.S. pharmaceutical company Moderna today began shipping its coronavirus vaccine in Europe. The company made the announcement in Frankfurt, Germany. A large international logistics company will distribute the active ingredient, which is produced in a pharmaceutical factory in Switzerland, to the individual national states, it said. For each country, there will be a central warehouse to which the contractually agreed vaccine doses will be delivered. In the warehouses, the respective state authorities would take over and organize further distribution, Moderna said. The company did not provide further details. The EU…

Read More