Category: General Interest

Inflation continues to be a significant concern for people in Austria. Already 14 percent can no longer pay all their bills. In August, the inflation rate in Austria was 9.1 percent, according to the flash estimate of Statistics Austria. This is the first time in more than 12 months that it has not risen further, but it is stagnating at a very high level. According to a new consumer survey conducted by Mindtake Research on behalf of the Austrian Trade Association (n=1,010), inflation is a major concern for 83 percent…

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In preparation for a possible new Corona wave in the fall and winter, the EU Commission calls on member states to close vaccination gaps in the population. “Although the evolution of the pandemic is unpredictable, the EU must prepare – for the third year in a row – for a difficult autumn and winter,” the EU Commission said. In addition to a possible Corona wave, a brisk spread of other respiratory viruses is likely – posing a challenge to already overburdened health systems, it said. Booster vaccination rate to be…

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The European Medicines Agency has reviewed Biontech and Moderna applications and recommended their vaccines adapted to Omicron subline BA.1. The European Medicines Agency Ema has approved the use of more advanced corona vaccines. Ema announced that the recommendation applies to over 12-year-olds who already have primary immunization. The EU Commission must now formally approve Ema’s decision. The Ema Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) meeting was about applications from pharmaceutical companies Biontech/Pfizer and U.S.-based Moderna for approval of so-called bivalent vaccines. They are intended to protect the original…

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Minister of Labor Kocher confirms that all unemployed and minimum security recipients will receive 300 euros in September. As an additional support benefit, the unemployed will receive a one-time payment of 300 euros from the government. The price starts this week! Given the persistent inflation, the federal government has already adopted an anti-inflation package with a total volume of 28 billion euros. This package includes immediate measures for the population and structural calculations to provide rapid relief. One part of the primary measures is a one-off payment of 300 euros,…

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The National Immunization Panel (NIG) recommends the Corona booster vaccination for everyone ages 12 and older. They should get their fourth Corona vaccination starting in September, it said at a press conference in Vienna.Previously, the recommendation for the 4th sting applied only to people 60 years and older. Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) expects Corona case numbers to rise significantly in the fall and issued an FFP2 mask recommendation for indoor use. FFP2 mask requirement could return in the fall“It is likely that in the fall, mandatory masks will again…

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If you want to make pancakes quickly, you have to pay a lot more for the necessary ingredients than you did about a year ago. The current inflation check shows: Inexpensive sunflower oil has become almost 137 percent more expensive year-on-year, flour 98 percent, eggs 40 percent, and milk 23 percent – which applies to the cheapest products available at seven supermarkets and discount stores in Vienna. The AK inflation check between August 1 and 4 at seven stores (Billa, Billa Plus, Spar, Interspar, Hofer Lidl, and Penny) shows: that…

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The sharp rise in prices for gas and electricity is putting increasing pressure on domestic bakeries. “Energy costs are up to ten times higher than last year. Many bakeries are thinking of closing down for good,” the guild master of the WKÖ Federal Association of Bakers, Josef Schrott, told APA. Many colleagues are desperate – tens of thousands of euros in additional costs can not be earned at a small bakery counter. The bakery trade requires a lot of energy to operate baking ovens and dough coolers. The federal trade…

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The weather presents its unsettled and wet side this week – in addition, temperatures are now dropping significantly. Today, Wednesday, the sun will initially shine in the east, but in the day, dense clouds with rain will advance from the west to the eastern edge of the Alps and the Mostviertel. Locally, lightning and thunder will also be present; until the evening, it will remain primarily friendly in the Danube region, the eastern lowlands, and the southeast. A brisk wind from the north to the northwest will freshen up in…

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From the point of view of education policy, it is evident: that schools must remain open, explained Education Minister Martin Polaschek (ÖVP) at a press conference on Monday. There will be no area-wide school closures in the coming school year. One is prepared for all scenarios, the minister explained. And he was glad that an overall strategy included the schools. After all, he said, it had never been clear why different rules should apply in schools than elsewhere: “School is not a segregated area.” In general, Polaschek emphasized the principle…

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