Omicron discoverer: “Should not talk about the milder course.”

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The South African discoverer of the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus says she has been told not to speak publicly about its milder course. “I was told not to declare publicly that it was a mild disease,” Angelique Coetzee, a medical doctor, told Die Welt (Thursday edition). “I was asked to refrain from making such statements and to say it was a serious illness. I refused to do that.”According to Coetzee, he was not pressured by South African authorities but by European countries. According to the “Welt” report, she cited…

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EU ministers: pandemic threat not yet averted

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EU health ministers say the pandemic threat has not yet been averted. “It is too early to consider the pandemic like an endemic,” French Health Minister Olivier Veran said today after a meeting with his colleagues in Grenoble. EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides also said the pandemic is not over. The pandemic has shown that there are “many twists and turns,” Kyriakides said. “We look to the future with optimism, but at the same time, we remain realistic and must be prepared to face variants,” the EU commissioner said. She…

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COVID Traffic light remains red in Austria

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The CoV traffic light remains red in the first week of the semester break. The risk situation is to be classified as very high risk for the whole of Austria and all federal states, the CoV Commission announced today after a circular resolution. There was no actual meeting this week. But there are signals in the direction of a trend reversal. Those provinces where Omicron initially spread most widely show a downward 14-day trend in infection numbers. Cases are also declining in the majority of Salzburg and Tyrol districts. The…

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35,250 new infections in Austria on Thursday

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Twenty-two recent Covid-19-related deaths have been reported. From Wednesday to Thursday, 35,250 new infections were reported in Austria. This is above the average of 32,265 over the past seven days. In the past 24 hours, 474,326 new PCR tests were performed. This results in a positive rate of 7.43 percent. The seven-day incidence has dropped to 2,537.40. There are also 22 new deaths associated with Covid 19 infections to report. Thus, the pandemic has claimed 14,315 lives in Austria so far. There are currently 2,064 people in the hospital. Up…

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Call for testing before the start of the semester

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The semester break at Vienna’s schools will soon come to an end. Students are called upon to take a PCR test as early as this weekend to avoid any nasty surprises on Monday. One wants to make the start of school after the semester break as easy and safe as possible, it says in an appeal by Education City Councilor Christoph Wiederkehr (NEOS): “Y request goes out to all students and their parents that the children already tested negative come to school on Monday.” Wiederkehr appeals to everyone to take…

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New Corona test: as precise as PCR, but much faster

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The new test from China is said to have the accuracy of a PCR test but takes only four minutes to analyze. Chinese scientists say they have developed such a corona test as fast as an antigen test and as accurate as a PCR test. The researchers from Fudan University in Shanghai presented their sensor on Monday in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering. According to the paper, the method involves microelectronically examining genetic material on test sticks and obtaining an accurate result within a few minutes. The scientists assured that…

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Omicron: A booster for boostered people

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Despite triple vaccination, many people are currently infected with omicron. Official data show that they are well protected against severe infections. Experts hope that the breakthrough infections could act as a booster for boostered people and help contain the pandemic in the long term. Some questions about that remain, however. Cold symptoms, headache, aching limbs, fever in some cases – even triple-vaccinated people are not immune to a noticeable omicron infection. There are two reasons why more breakthrough infections are being recorded at the moment. First is the high incidence…

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No need to fear omicron: these EU countries are easing Corona measures

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Omicron has now lost its terror for many. Despite high case numbers, many countries in Europe are venturing back to normal. The 2G rule falls in February. Sweden abolishes almost all Corona rules The Czech Republic abolishes Corona passesWhen Omicron began its conquering march, many countries resorted to harsh measures to keep the highly contagious variant of the coronavirus at bay. Some brashly, others in cautious clumsy steps. Once again, the Scandinavians are at the forefront. No fear of omicron: These EU countries are easing corona measures.“Celebrate as if it’s…

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500,000 Covid deaths since Omicron emergence

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WHO experts warn “virus remains dangerous.” According to data released Tuesday by the World Health Organization (WHO), half a million people worldwide have died from covid since the first warnings about the highly contagious Omicron variant of the Coronavirus in late November, according to WHO representative Abdi Mahamud. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO expert in charge of Corona, said, “We are still in the middle of the pandemic.” She said many countries had not yet passed the peak of the Omikron wave, which had displaced the previously prevalent Delta variant.…

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