Trondheim asks the Armed Forces for assistance in vaccinating the inhabitants: – We have outlined the need for 20 sanitary personnel to set refreshment doses, says the municipal director to VG.
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On Monday, the government decided to deploy the Armed Forces to assist hard-pressed municipalities in setting the third dose, which everyone over the age of 45 will receive by mid-January.
The next day, the Armed Forces was ready for action. Ten mobile vaccination teams are on standby to move out and assist municipalities that are lagging behind with the vaccination.
– It is urgent to set more refresher doses, the government emphasized.
The National Institute of Public Health has sent out 700,000 booster doses to the municipalities, which must be set within two weeks. Vaccines must also be given during Christmas in space, in order to reach the goal of setting 1.2 million doses in three weeks.
On Thursday, the counties’ emergency managers announced to the Ministry of Health and Care Services what their need is for support from the Armed Forces. Among the big cities, so far only Trondheim said yes.
– The offer is very good, absolutely superb, says municipal director in Trondheim Morten Wolden to VG.
–600 doses every day
Each of the Armed Forces’ mobile teams consists of 16 people – doctors, nurses, other types of authorized health personnel and conscripts.
– A team with three stations can set an estimated 600 vaccine doses every day, communications manager at the Armed Forces Sanitary Kristian Elden informs VG.
He emphasizes that the number of vaccine doses that are actually set can be both fewer and a good many more, depending on the conditions in the individual municipality.
If all ten teams from the Armed Forces are included in the vaccination, they can put about 30,000 doses a week.
For comparison is the government’s goal to vaccinate 400,000 a week.
– Our teams can first and foremost contribute to increasing the capacity of the vaccination work, but we can also relieve the municipal health service, if they lack personnel, says Elden.
Strengthen capacity
The municipal director in Trondheim wants the Armed Forces’ assistance as soon as possible – preferably throughout January.
– It is a good opportunity to strengthen the capacity of the vaccination work, so that we can reach the government’s ambition to give everyone 45 plus the third dose by 15 January, says Wolden.
Trondheim will also provide a refresher dose to everyone who works in kindergartens and schools – and then there will be 40,000 students who will be vaccinated in January and February.
From Trøndelag, seven municipalities reported some need for assistance from the Armed Forces for vaccination.
– Over 30 of the municipalities believe they can handle the vaccination themselves. My impression is that the wear and tear there is on normal operation, due to high sickness absence, says emergency manager in Trøndelag Dag Otto Skar.
–Oslo can ask for assistance
Only one municipality in Oslo and Viken has requested assistance from the Armed Forces so far, but about ten municipalities are considering using the offer.
– Oslo municipality has not requested assistance so far, the emergency director at the State Administrator in Oslo and Viken Marit Strengen informs VG.
But it must now be considered by the capital.
Strengen adds that it is only natural that a municipality like Oslo assesses whether they can cope with the increased vaccination rate on their own or whether they need assistance.
– There are very many who will be vaccinated in Oslo in the coming weeks, Strengen says.
She points out that the time between dose two and three has recently been adjusted downwards.
– Probably not all municipalities have recalculated the need for vaccination as a result of this yet, so the need can increase, says the director of emergency preparedness in Oslo and Viken.
If sickness absence and infection increase, she believes it may be relevant for municipalities to request assistance from the Armed Forces or the Civil Defense for testing and infection detection.
–Bergen manages itself
Emergency manager in Western Norway Haavard Stenvand has reported that several, slightly larger and populous municipalities around Bergen may be relevant for assistance from the Armed Forces.
– Bergen has not rejected the offer, but today has usable capacity for vaccination itself. It can of course change, if sickness absence increases, says Stenvand.
He says that Bergen has many free vaccination hours.
– The biggest challenge is to have enough arms to stick, says Stenvand.
He thinks the explanation is first and foremost that it has not been four and a half months since the second dose.
– But some municipalities are also asking themselves whether people do not take the third dose now, because they are afraid of side effects that can ruin the Christmas celebration, says the emergency manager in Vestland.
Several Vestland municipalities report that they are more pressured on testing and infection tracing than vaccination.
Rogaland: Five want assistance
In Rogaland, five municipalities have answered that they want assistance with vaccination from the Armed Forces – two in December and three in January, according to the county’s emergency manager Reidar Johnsen.
He adds that most of them are located on Haugalandet in the north of the county. Stavanger and Sandnes will not be among the municipalities that have so far reported a need for the Armed Forces’ support.
19 of the 23 municipalities in Vestfold and Telemark believe they will be able to handle the vaccination themselves. Three of the municipalities have asked for individual assistance, but one municipality has not responded.
– I do not think our county needs an entire vaccination team, but for individual resources, says county emergency manager in Vestfold and Telemark Ingvild Aartun.
She says Vestfold and Telemark have a greater need for assistance with infection detection and testing.
– Nice to be able to help
– We are still in the phase where we, in collaboration with civilian authorities, map out where we are to assist, says spokesperson at the Armed Forces’ operational headquarters (FOH) Preben Aursand on Thursday night.
Three of the teams are from the Armed Forces’ sanitation at Sessvoldmoen. The others are composed of personnel from the Army, the Air Force and the Navy. The teams can move all over the country.
– We will not take over, but support the local health service that has been in the vaccination work for a long time. It is nice for us to be able to help, when needed, says Preben Aursand at FOH.
–Two assignments for the civil defense
The Civil Defense is now preparing for two assignments – by supporting health personnel in connection with testing in Vågsbygd in Kristiansand and vaccination in Sel municipality in Gudbrandsdalen.
– The Civil Defense is put into action as soon as the crews are ready today, says press officer Morten Harangen in the Directorate for Civil Protection and Emergency Planning (DSB) to VG.
The civilian emergency force is normally used for lighting, heating, tents, security, guidance and information.
– In the first instance, the Civil Defense will not be able to assist with personnel for the actual vaccination, but we have personnel who can assist in the planning and implementation of logistics and support functions.
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