– Absolutely horrible – VG

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– One of those who received a positive test on Sunday has had 43 close contacts, says municipal chief physician Sidsel Storhaug to Ås newspaper Monday.

She tells VG that she thinks it is absolutely incredible.

– It has been absolutely horrible at Easter. It can not get worse than it has been now. I am prepared for the worst, says Storhaug about the situation.

She says that the infected person with 43 close contacts goes to high school, but that the close contacts are from the Easter week and not from school.

– It’s not how it should be. They have their family, aunts and uncles, friends, friends’ family, boyfriend and girlfriend’s family.

Storhaug says that she is concerned about the health of the traces of infection in the municipality. She believes the system can collapse when some have so many close contacts.

– Each of the close contacts must be tracked down and contacted. Everyone needs an explanation of how to behave. Then it will be a lot if you have to talk to 43 people, she says.

– Too many contact points

Nevertheless, she says that it is not uncommon for young people in the municipality to have many close contacts.

– This example is not unique at all. There are many young people who have too many contact points.

Many of the people are said to have had close contact through driving.

– There are probably some young people who have just taken a certificate, and who drive people like a taxi driver. There is a lot of transfer here and there, says the municipal chief.

She also tells of another incident from this week, where a man went to visit his girlfriend while he was waiting for the answer to the corona test. It turned out to be positive.

It is not just indoors and in the car the infection spreads.

– We also have examples of people who are infected by the neighbor they have talked to when they have been out on a trip, she adds.

Traces of infection have a duty of confidentiality

The municipal chief in Fredrikstad told VG on Monday that they have had challenges with being infected did not want to give up all their close contacts.

– We have not seen this before. It has only been right now the last week, says municipal chief physician Lise Wangberg Storhaug.

The municipal chief in Ås believes that many young people are not aware that they have to wait a while to get a vaccine if they are infected now.

– If people do not take care of themselves, they have to wait for three months to get the vaccine. That is why it is so important that we make an effort and do not relax with infection control now.

If you are infected, your close contacts must be called. But the traces of infection do not tell the close contacts who is the source of the infection. They have a duty of confidentiality and do not inform about who they have been in contact with, only the date, in order to be able to inform about the length of the quarantine period and ideal test times.

– Everyone involved in infection tracking must comply with the duty of confidentiality when handling personal information, informs FHI on their websites.