Category: General Interest

In Vienna, Lower and Upper Austria, the first people will also be vaccinated against Covid-19 on Sunday with the joint EU launch of the Corona vaccinations. The province of Tyrol expects the first of two necessary partial immunizations for individual high-risk people before the end of December. In the other five provinces, the first administrations of the Pfizer/Biontech vaccine are expected to be carried out in the first half of January, a roundup revealed. In a first tranche, 10,000 doses of the vaccine will arrive in Austria shortly after Christmas,…

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New agreement of the Ministry of Culture with all 16 churches and religious groups for the containment of the corona virus is valid from December 28 to January 17 – Exemption for Orthodox Christmas. Vienna, 21.12.2020 – From December 28 to January 17, there will be no public religious services. The 16 churches and religious societies have agreed with the Ministry of Culture on Monday. The reason for this are the new tightenings for the containment of the Coronavirus. Thus, public worship services can take place as planned on Christmas…

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The EMA’s recommendation for the vaccine from BioNTech and Pfizer was eagerly awaited. Yesterday afternoon, the green light was given: vaccination can begin.The next step is for the EU Commission to decide on the use of the preparation for all member countries – this is considered a formality and should happen before Christmas.Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) spoke of a “joyful day after ten months of hard fighting against the Corona pandemic”. He said that if the EU gives the green light, Austria will “swiftly begin distribution and the first vaccinations…

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According to WHO, the mutation from the UK is already circulating in Australia, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands and Denmark. It is clearly more contagious, it said. The new variant of the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus has been found in Australia, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands and Denmark in addition to the United Kingdom. Apart from Denmark, these were isolated cases, World Health Organization (WHO) coronavirus expert Maria van Kerkhove reported Monday in Geneva. The virus can be brought under control even in the new variant, WHO emergency coordinator Michael Ryan stressed. “The situation…

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The Ministry of Social Affairs on Monday presented the draft regulation for the third “hard” Corona lockdown. It does not yet include the free testing phase, because the regulation is valid for the time being until January 4. There are no surprises in the measures. It is made clear that testing obligations for Covid 19 patients do not apply for three months. More visits will be allowed to nursing home residents at Christmas. On Dec. 24 and 25, residents of nursing and retirement homes will be allowed two visits from…

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The European Medicines Agency (EMA) officially recommended approval of the BioNTech and Pfizer vaccine on Monday afternoon. It said the approval will apply to all persons 16 years of age and older and to all EU member states at the same time. “This is a significant milestone in the fight against the pandemic,” Marie-Agnes Heine, head of EMA’s communications department, said in an opening statement. The EMA’s scientific opinion now paves the way for the first approval of the Covid 19 vaccine by the European Commission. The latter, meanwhile, has…

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Austria expects to receive a sufficient share of the vaccine doses secured across the EU in the discussion about ordering more vaccines in Europe. “The contract of Biontech and Pfizer includes 200 million doses already ordered by the EU-27 and another option of 100 million doses for which the EU-27 orders are in preparation. All EU countries will get their share secured,” Special Representative Clemens Martin Auer said yesterday. “These contracts stipulate that individual EU countries can only conclude individual contracts with manufacturers such as Biontech once the large EU…

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Austria is counting on a sufficient share of the vaccine doses secured across the EU in the discussion about ordering more vaccines in Europe. “The contract of Biontech and Pfizer includes 200 million doses already ordered by the EU-27 and another option of 100 million doses for which the EU-27 orders are in preparation. All EU countries will get their share secured,” Special Representative Clemens Martin Auer said today. “These contracts stipulate that individual EU countries can only enter into individual contracts with manufacturers such as Biontech once the large…

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Who has to wear all mouth-nose protection, when can I go back to the gym and who has to get tested and when? Email us your coronavirus-related questions at office@austrianpress.com 1) Can I meet my best friend even in lockdown?Round-the-clock curfew restrictions apply. Visiting individual closest person has already been counted among the exceptions as meeting basic needs. This is to be expected now as well. 2) Who is exempted from the obligation to wear a mouth-nose protection? Children up to the age of six and deaf and severely hearing…

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