Last Friday, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen signed a new law requiring people aged 18 and over to be vaccinated against covid-19, making the country the first in Europe to introduce a national vaccine mandate.
Under the new law, which takes effect in the middle of next month, people who cannot show proof of vaccination will receive an initial fine of $ 680, which could increase to more than $ 4,100. The Austrian Ministry of Health says there are exceptions for pregnant women women and people who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.
Johns Hopkins University’s Coronavirus Resource Center reports that at least 76 percent of Austria’s population is already fully vaccinated.
The measure enters into force as many European nations such as Denmark, Sweden and France relax or completely cease their covid-19 restrictions. Spain will end its mandate to wear outdoor masks next week. A mandate for indoor worms is expected to continue to apply.
Meanwhile, in Japan, the Kyodo news agency reports that the country’s daily COVID-19 cases exceeded 100,000 for the first time late Thursday as the country struggles to contain a sixth wave of infections, driven by the omicron variant of the virus.
The total number of coronavirus cases in Japan had peaked at 3 million as of Thursday, according to a Kyodo News report based on local government data. Seriously ill patients climbed by 131 to 1,042 cases from the day before, the Ministry of Health said, the highest since September when the delta variant drove a fifth wave of cases.
Most regions are now undergoing infection control measures to try to curb the spread of omicron, which has exploded among a population where less than 5% have received vaccine booster shots.
Some information for this report came from the Associated Press and Reuters.
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Source: sn.dk