Dagbladet has mentioned in several cases the low vaccination rate of employees with close patient contact at Oslo University Hospital, a situation that has created great concern among the employees.
Among other things, figures show Dagbladet has gained insight into the hospital’s percentage prioritized more in management and administration than by the hospital’s health professionals.
Stopping the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine has not made the situation any better for the many who are waiting for the vaccine.
Chief physician at NIPH, Preben Aavitsland, was last week aware that the elderly and sick must now be given priority. A few days later, the health authorities have nevertheless managed to find vaccines to prioritize health personnel.
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– Not everyone should be given priority
From the end of December until the end of week ten, around 750,000 vaccine doses have been distributed in Norway, shows The National Institute of Public Health overview.
When asked about the vaccination of health personnel and whether the large hospitals should have received more vaccines, the chief physician at FHI, Preben Aavitsland, answered the following to Dagbladet on Wednesday:
– There are around 400,000 health and care personnel. The intention has never been that all of these should be given priority. We now assume that both the hospitals and the municipalities have now received vaccinated personnel in the most critical functions. Therefore, we now go ahead and ask the municipalities to use all vaccines on the elderly and sick.
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– Do you have any reason to suspect that many who were not thought of as first priority, have still been vaccinated?
– We assume that the municipalities and hospitals make sensible assessments so that they can maintain their critical functions if outbreaks affect the services.
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In an interview with VG last week, NIPH director Camilla Stoltenberg explained that around 30 per cent of the vaccine doses in Norway have so far gone to health personnel in the municipalities and in the hospitals.
She also emphasized that prioritizing health personnel higher now could affect risk groups. However, she did not rule out that health personnel could be given a higher priority.
– We do not intend to reduce the proportion of doses given to health personnel, but must consider what is wisest to do in this situation. Health personnel may be given somewhat higher priority, but it will go beyond risk groups with a very high risk of serious illness or death, Stoltenberg told VG.
Turned
Saturday announced FHI that the government has decided that health personnel in the specialist health service will receive 24,000 extra vaccine doses over the next two weeks.
Dishwashing after vaccination
These doses are in addition to the 10,000 already planned for this group in weeks 12 and 13.
For the current week, ie week 12, the government has decided on the following distribution: 3,000 vaccine doses to Oslo University Hospital, while 12,000 vaccine doses are distributed to Health South-East and Health North.
This week, FHI will also send out vaccine doses to those of health personnel who have already been summoned for vaccination. This applies to healthcare professionals over the age of 65 and healthcare professionals with underlying risk conditions, which amount to an additional 4,000 doses.
When asked by Dagbladet about what has changed in a few days, Aavitsland answers the following:
– It is especially the development of the epidemic that means that hospitals will receive more doses. The infection pressure in central Eastern Norway and the load on four or five hospitals there is now great. It is necessary that more of the personnel are protected. In addition, it has become clearer how vulnerable the staffing is at several hospitals in northern Norway.
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– It was also stated in the press release from FHI that the government has decided this. Was it on the basis of a recommendation from FHI?
– The government’s decision came after a dialogue between the government, the regional health authorities and us, Aavitsland answers.
– Must be prioritized
Today, there is – as is well known – a shortage of corona vaccines in Norway.
The union leader in the Norwegian Nurses’ Association, Lill Sverresdatter Larsen, is among those who have been aware that vaccination of health personnel who are in the first line must be given priority.
She points out that NSF has weekly meetings with both FHI and the Norwegian Directorate of Health. In the meeting with FHI last week, vaccination of health personnel, especially in the central eastern region, where the infection is highest, was the topic.
