Category: World News

German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) warned of a summer surge in coronavirus numbers and called to maintain wide-ranging protection beyond March 20. “We must expect a summer wave,” Lauterbach told Funke newspapers (Saturday editions). Both the delta and omicron variants are so infectious, he said, that even in good weather, many contacts and declining vaccination protection could again lead to rising infection numbers. The Minister demanded that the Infection Protection Act be geared to this. Yesterday, relaxations of the CoV measures had come into force throughout Germany, affecting restaurants,…

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Tomorrow, no country in Germany is considered a coronavirus high-risk area. “With widespread occurrence of the omicron variant, the ability of this variant to cause a threatening disease is shown to be less severe compared to the previous predominant variants,” the German Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said last night. Therefore, only those more dangerous, widespread variants would become high-risk areas. Most recently, 62 countries and regions were still considered high-risk areas, including Austria (since mid-January). They will all be removed from the list at midnight. As high-risk areas were previously…

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The UN wants to increase its humanitarian assistance in Ukraine but needs more security guarantees and money significantly. “The United Nations has increased its humanitarian presence in Ukraine. We want to continue that,” UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths told the UN Security Council in New York yesterday via video. Earlier, U.N. refugee commissioner Filippo Grandi said the U.N. was preparing for up to four million refugees. Grandi said 520,000 people had already fled Ukraine for surrounding countries, including Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Russia. The U.N. commissioner said he…

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From March 1, restrictions on entry into the EU will also be lifted for people who have been protected with a vaccine approved by the World Health Organization (WHO). That’s according to a non-binding recommendation agreed by EU states on Tuesday (February 22). Until now, restrictions on non-essential entry were only waived for people who had been vaccinated with an EU-approved preparation. The WHO list also includes the two Chinese vaccines, Sinopharm and Sinovac. However, the individual EU states can demand further requirements from persons who have received a vaccine…

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According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 424 million people have tested positive for the virus worldwide. More than 5.8 million infected people have died. More than 10.3 billion vaccine doses have been administered so far. The latest developmentsThe Czech Republic is abolishing almost all remaining Corona protections in the next few weeks. From March 1, for example, significant events and celebrations will be allowed without limits on participants, Health Minister Vlastimil Valek announced Wednesday (February 23). On March 13, the general obligation to wear masks indoors will be abolished,…

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Following several other northern European countries, Iceland also lifted all Corona restrictions. Domestic measures and restrictions on the entry will fall away on Friday, the Icelandic government announced Wednesday in the capital Reykjavik. “We are getting our normal life back,” Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir said. Those showing symptoms, however, will still be asked to stay home. Wearing mouth-nose protection when in contact with at-risk groups is also still recommended. Denmark had already lifted virtually all current Corona restrictions in February. Sweden and Norway followed suit a few days later. The…

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Italy will start administering the fourth dose of the Covid 19 vaccine to frail patients on March 1. The Ministry of Health decided this in Rome after the Medicines Agency (AIFA) gave the green light for the vaccination of the fourth dose over the weekend. Health Minister Roberto Speranza did not rule out the possibility that the entire population could receive the “fourth prick” in the fall. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s government is working to ease Corona‘s restrictions in stages. “Businesses and families need to be able to plan.…

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced the abolition of the last CoV measures in England. “The pandemic is not over yet, but thanks to the incredible vaccination campaign, we are one step closer to returning to normality and finally giving people back their freedom,” Johnson said today. Health experts and the opposition criticized the removal of protections as premature. Johnson plans to lay out his specific strategy in Parliament later today. His government, responsible for CoV measures in England, had already abolished most of the restrictions, such as the…

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According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 422 million people have tested positive for the virus worldwide. More than 5.8 million infected people have died. More than 10.3 billion vaccine doses have been administered so far. The latest developmentsPolice in Canada’s capital Ottawa on Saturday (Feb. 19) finished clearing a weeks-long blockade over the government’s Corona policy. There had been arrests of protesters in military fatigues carrying smoke candles and firecrackers in backpacks, police said. According to a report in the New York Times, truck windows were also smashed by…

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