In the last 24 hours, Norway set an infection record, with as many as 2,126 new registered cases, which is 500 more than at the same time last week. In the last week, an average of 1,467 new infections have been registered per day, and the trend is rising.
Norwegian health authorities have been clear that they do not want to return to strict infection control measures. When asked by TV 2 if this is still the case, despite increasing infection rates and more hospital admissions, FHI chief physician Are Stuwitz Berg answers that they are constantly making assessments.
– This is evolving. I do not think one should say neither or to one or the other. But the proportionality assessment is different now than before. Given that we have many more vaccinated in the population.
– The exponential curve seems to be rising quite fast. Is it worrying?
– Yes, there is more work now. We are constantly considering what to do, and when and how. So yes, there is reason to think carefully about now to avoid this getting even worse than it is.
Health director Bjørn Guldvog warns that he will recommend new national corona measures due to rising infection rates and increasing pressure on the health care system.
– Now we see that the curves are at full speed upwards and it will in a short time affect the planned activity in the hospitals, and go beyond many other patients. Therefore, it is necessary to go through the entire chain of measures and see if we can not adjust it a bit, Guldvog says to NRK.
He says it is not a question of going back to closure as it was, but rather that there will be some measures that prevent us from getting so much infection.
– Full hospital the biggest problem
At St. Olav’s hospital in Trondheim, the number of covid-19 patients has increased throughout the autumn, and CEO TV, Grethe Aasved, tells TV 2 that they now have the highest number of patients through the pandemic.
– St. Olav’s hospital has plans to handle a high number of corona patients, but now a full hospital is the biggest problem. The hospital has for a long time had between 20 and 40 completed patients waiting for services in the municipalities. This means that the emergency department is not allowed to send acutely ill patients further into the hospital. With an increasing number of admissions, we must reduce planned operations further, says Aasved.
On Monday, the number of corona patients in Norwegian hospitals was the highest since 28 April. 198 patients were hospitalized, which was an increase of 25 patients from Friday.
On Tuesday, the number of admitted corona patients had dropped by ten people, to 187.
Undisputedly very high numbers
– In some places we see very, very high infection rates now. We have places with over a thousand new infected people over seven days per hundred thousand inhabitants. Oslo is at 200 now and Tromsø at 800. These are indisputably very high numbers, says professor of medical microbiology at the University of Tromsø, Ørjan Olsvik, to TV 2.
– SURPRISED: Ørjan Olsvik, professor, Department of Medical Biology. Photo: Nils Ole Refvik
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Olsvik tells TV 2 that he had not seen the development with both increasing infection rates and hospital admissions, coming.
– I must say I am surprised, with 87 percent vaccine degree one would not think it was possible. But we have learned that the vaccine has a shorter effect than we thought, and that means that very many fully vaccinated are infected. So these are things we did not include in the calculation, but which are understandable when you look at how long the vaccines last.
– Pour water where it burns
Olsvik still believes that not is cause for panic. He believes that what it takes to turn the situation around is something we have become quite well accustomed to through the pandemic.
– Then you should have ice in your stomach and then you should do the things we know have an effect, such as wearing a bandage and keeping your distance.
The professor says that it is now that the municipal responsibility starts in earnest, something he is not particularly worried about.
– No, I’m not so worried, because the municipalities have very good local knowledge. Bent Høie introduced a cabin ban on the Finnmarksvidda, without viruses within a mile, while now you can use local knowledge when implementing measures.
Olsvik actually believes that local measures are a better solution than talking about national measures in a country with large local variations when it comes to infection.
– I am really happy that you have the opportunity to pour water where it burns, and not in the whole country.
Vaccine researcher: – Not worried
Vaccine researcher Gunnveig Grødeland reminds that the infection rates are not so important in a fully vaccinated population.
– The capacity of the hospitals and the ability of the health service to handle the few cases of illness that occur, governs whether we need further measures, says Grødeland.
– VACCINE RESEARCHER: Gunnveig Grødeland. Photo: Rune Blekken / TV 2
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Although the highest number of hospitalized covid patients was registered on Monday since April, Grødeland points out that there are still unvaccinated and elderly vaccinated, who in addition to old age also have a disease that makes them extra vulnerable, who are admitted.
– Since it is mainly the elderly who are admitted, it becomes important to implement measures that protect this age group. It could, for example, be to introduce face masks for visitors to nursing homes, she says.
– And for the general population, do you think they need to prepare for new measures?
– In some places, to a lesser extent, yes. At the same time, the general population is fully vaccinated and well protected against serious illness. The measures must be in proportion to the risk that the virus poses to the population, says Grødeland.
Despite the fact that the infection has flared up again in some Norwegian municipalities, the vaccine researcher is not particularly worried.
– I’m not worried because the vaccines protect us very well against this being something more than a cold. Then we must rather make sure that those who are most vulnerable get the help they need when they need it, she says.
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