2,242 Corona cases on Shopping Sunday before Christmas

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It’s the very first time retailers have been allowed to open this Sunday. Meanwhile, authorities report 2,242 Corona cases and 17 deaths. The lockdown has been over for a week, and Corona numbers are in a tailspin now, just before Christmas. On Monday, 3,251 people tested positive for the corona virus in a 24-hour period; Tuesday, 2,859; Wednesday, 4,224; Thursday, 3,046; Friday, 2,899; and yesterday’s shopping Saturday, 2,167. For the very first time, stores in Austria are allowed to open on today’s fourth Advent Sunday. Politicians, business and social partners…

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Excursion destination: The Silent Night Chapel in Oberndorf

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A Filipino group headed by the Bicol Society in Austria trailed to the famous  Silent Night Chapel in the western part of Austria. In 1818, the song “Silent Night, Holy Night” was heard for the first time in the St. Nikola Church in Oberndorf near Salzburg. Today, the “Silent Night Chapel” stands on that very spot. It is a popular destination all year round. Oberndorf is located about 20 kilometers north of the city of Salzburg. It has gained worldwide fame as the “Silent Night Parish”. Joseph Mohr worked here…

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WHO: Omicron on the rise in 89 countries

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According to the WHO, the coronavirus variant Omicron is spreading much faster than Delta. Many countries are taking precautions, the Netherlands even with a hard lockdown. The infections with Omicron doubled every 1.5 to three days, communicated the World Health Organization WHO in Geneva. So far, the variant has been detected in 89 countries, it said. WHO warned that hospitals may be overwhelmed in some places given the rapid increase in cases. “The number of hospitalizations in the United Kingdom and South Africa continues to rise, and given the rapidly…

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Stores open today for exceptional reasons

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Domestic retailers are allowed to open for the first time today due to an exemption. However, the one-time special regulation does not apply to supermarkets and drugstores. Due to the lockdown, stationary trade this year has fallen by three shopping Saturdays in Advent and the traditionally strong Immaculate Conception Day. However, the open Sunday before Christmas will only be able to compensate for a fraction of the lockdown sales loss. Retail researchers at the University of Linz expect additional sales of 150 million euros. According to estimates, sales on open…

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Omicron infects 70 times faster, but less severe

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Chinese researchers were able to determine in a study that Omicron attacks the bronchial tubes more than the lungs. Progression is milder. A study led by researchers at the University of Hong Kong’s LKS Faculty of Medicine (HKUMed) provides the first information on how the new Omicron infects people’s airways. The researchers found that Omicron infects and replicates 70 times faster than the Delta variant and the original Wuhan variant. This could explain why Omicron may be transmitted between people faster than earlier variants. Their study also showed that Omicron…

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Omicron: London declares state of emergency

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The British capital London has declared a state of emergency today due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. “The increase in Omicron cases in our capital is very worrying,” Mayor Sadiq Khan announced. “That is why we are again declaring a disaster emergency.” Khan pointed out that the number of patients in London’s hospitals is again rising sharply. The city had already declared a disaster emergency at the beginning of January. At that time, the health system was on the verge of collapse. In concrete terms, this means…

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Tens of thousands cases with fake parcel delivery text messages

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The Corona pandemic with its lockdowns has led to more and more activities being shifted to the Internet. Cyber attacks have long since ceased to target only companies. “Cybercrime has arrived in our living rooms,” explained Natascha Kantauer-Gansch, head of private customers at A1 at an online press conference on Friday. “We receive hundreds of customer inquiries every day about fake text messages.” Currently, the most common method of attack are so-called “flu bots.” This form of “Trojan” disguises itself as an SMS from well-known parcel delivery companies and asks…

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Fewer Corona cases with 2,167 new infections

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The 2,167 new infections reported on Saturday by the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Health represent a further decrease compared to the previous day (2,899), in addition, the number is also significantly lower than the average of the past seven days (3,121). The seven-day incidence fell to 244.5 cases per 100,000 population. There was also a decrease in hospitalizations as well as deaths. The highest number of new infections occurred in Lower Austria (416), followed by Vienna (391), Tyrol (334) and Upper Austria (312). 307 cases were…

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Coronavirus worldwide: Japan extends entry restrictions, Dutch health experts recommend tough lockdown

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About 273 million people have tested positive for the virus worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University. More than 5.3 million infected people have died. More than 8.5 billion vaccine doses have been administered worldwide. Moderna wants to revise its vaccine because of the Omicron variant. However, it is far from certain when it will be launched on the market. The Japanese government will extend entry restrictions for foreigners beyond the end of the year in light of the spread of the Omicron variant. The daily Yomiuri reported Saturday (Dec. 18)…

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