Category: General Interest

In an interview conducted by Austria`s television channel ORF, Chancellor Kurz analyzes the right way to deal with the corona pandemic: “We must do everything now to prevent a third wave from catching up with us” – with an appeal, but also a self-critical look back at the turn of the year, Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said. Basically, he says, one slogan applies: testing and vaccination will restore people’s freedoms. Kurz sees the fact that in the lockdown the lifts are open and not everyone sees this as a consistent…

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U.S. University of Johns Hopkins confirmed yesterday the number of coronavirus infections worldwide. The number has risen to more than 80 million since the pandemic began. Only about a month ago, on Nov. 25, the threshold of 60 million infections had been exceeded. The number of known deaths related to the virus now stands at 1.75 million. Scientists assume high levels of unreported cases for both infections and deaths. University figures are updated regularly and are often slightly higher than official data. The World Health Organization (WHO) last reported the…

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The Austrian press AGency (APA) reports that the first 10,000 doses of Biontech/Pfizer’s Corona vaccine arrived safely in Vienna-Simmering at 5:35 a.m. Saturday. A refrigerated truck with large infrastructure inside, escorted by police vehicles, delivered the precious commodity, the Interior Ministry said. The transport had started in Puurs, Belgium, and at 2:00 a.m. units of the provincial traffic departments of Vienna and Upper Austria received it at the Suben border crossing (Schärding district). The first five volunteers – all high-risk patients over 80 years of age – will be vaccinated…

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Austrian television, ORF reports that the first shipment with the vaccine against the coronavirus from the manufacturer Biontech/Pfizer has passed the Austrian border during the night. This was also announced by the Interior Ministry. The shipment of about 10,000 doses had started in Puurs, Belgium, and arrived at the Austrian border crossing at Suben in Upper Austria via Germany at about 2:00 a.m.. There, the transport was taken over by units of the regional traffic departments of Vienna and Upper Austria. From the state border, several police patrols took over…

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No handshaking for the greeting of peace, no preparation of gifts: under Corona conditions Pope Francis celebrated the traditional Christmas Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. At the Mass on the occasion of the birth of Jesus Christ, the head of the Catholic Church recalled charity. “Insatiably we want more and so we rush to the many feeding places of vanity, forgetting the manger of Bethlehem,” he said Thursday evening at Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. Referring to the Christmas story, Francis added in his homily that this manger was poor…

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The pharmaceutical company assumes that its vaccine is also effective against the mutation discovered in Great Britain.Moderna assumes that its vaccine also protects against the more contagious variant of the Corona virus first detected in Great Britain. This is based on the data available so far, the pharmaceutical company says. Tests are planned for each variant. On Wednesday, Canada joined the U.S. in allowing the use of the Moderna vaccine, and it is expected to be approved soon in the EU as well. The Moderna vaccine needs two doses of…

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Those who still have shopping to do on December 24, 2020, can still do so in various storesDecember 24 falls on a Thursday this year. In Vienna, there are still some opportunities to go shopping or get presents on Christmas Eve. We provide the info for last-minute shopping on December 24. Christmas tree sales in Vienna: Info Those who still have to get Christmas presents, groceries, a Christmas tree or the like on Christmas Eve still have a few hours to do so. Last-minute gifts can still be shopped for…

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Slightly relaxed CoV rules apply today and tomorrow (December 24 and 25). On these two days, nighttime curfew restrictions are completely lifted. Contact restrictions will also be significantly relaxed, with a maximum of ten people from up to ten different households allowed to meet. The rule of one meter distance is lifted, the mask obligation with meetings inside off the own private living range does not apply likewise. This also applies to barns, garden sheds and garages, which (like gardens) may exceptionally be used for meetings of more than two…

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The data from England prove what went through the media: The virus is spreading at breakneck speed – “Unfortunately, it doesn’t look good,” Germany’s best-known virologist Christian Drosten writes about it. But there is also good news: Contact reduction also helps in this case, says Drosten. In other words, the mutation does not currently change anything, as Hans-Peter Hutter, an environmental physician at MedUni Vienna, explains. Also, according to the English data, there were only six deaths out of 900 infected people, which confirms that the course is not made…

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