In Alver and Nes municipality, they have taken a Christmas holiday, but in several places in Norway they continue the vaccination throughout Christmas.
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Monday this week started The Armed Forces’ first vaccination team its work to assist Fredrikstad municipality in setting vaccines, and several municipalities have requested assistance from the Armed Forces to be able to vaccinate the population.
But in Alver municipality they have taken a Christmas holiday. There are several reasons why the municipality pauses vaccination. They will continue with the vaccination on 3 January.
– Firstly, we are well placed to reach the time interval set by the government. Secondly, we have a limited number of arms to stick, because we must have enough time between dose two and dose three before we can put more vaccines, says mayor Sara Hamre Sekkingstad.
She believes that the employees also deserve time off for Christmas.
– Many employees who have helped to organize the vaccination and set the doses have been around for a long time, and they will be on after Christmas as well. Now they deserve a Christmas holiday, says the mayor.
–– Lots of free hours
County emergency manager in Vestland, Haavard Stensvand, tells VG that it has been a challenge to get enough arms to stick in some municipalities, including in Bergen, there have been a lot of free hours.
– There are various reasons why there are free hours. I have heard that people are afraid of getting side effects from the vaccine now that it is Christmas, says Stensvand.
Several municipalities in Western Norway did not start with the large vaccination pressure until August, due to fewer vaccines. Therefore, they struggle to reach the goal with the time interval.
– They will struggle to reach the finish line. There are not enough arms to stick, says the county emergency manager.
Nes municipality in Viken had the last day with appointments and drop-in hours for school and kindergarten employees on Tuesday 21.12.
They have issued extra vaccine doses before Christmas, so they expect to meet national authorities’ expectation of offering dose over three to all over 45s and priority groups by mid-January.
– We have, so to speak, used up the vaccine doses we had available. The rest will be used the first week in January, says mayor Grete Sjøli to VG.
The municipality will receive the next vaccine delivery after Christmas.
– No shortage of doses
In Bærum municipality in Viken, they offer drop-in vaccination for doses 1 and 2 from Monday 27 to Thursday 29 December. On Thursday, December 30, they offer drop-in hours for dose 3.
– We do not have a shortage of doses, and we hope to fill up our hours. The reason we have drop-in is to make it easier for people to show up. We want to be as accessible as possible since it is Christmas Eve, says communications manager Lisa Bang to VG.
In Asker municipality in Viken, they also have drop-in classes during Christmas. They experience that more unvaccinated people show up now than before.
– I hope for a large turnout this Christmas. It was a period where not everyone showed up for their classes, but now more people show up, says municipal director Lars Bjerke to VG.
They also have regular appointments, and offer vaccinations during the day and in the evening. Several of the largest cottage municipalities have also set up drop-in vaccination during Christmas.
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