It is uncertain when the peak will be reached.
It writes the National Institute of Public Health (NIPH) in a new weekly report about the seasonal flu outbreak.
Very unusual
In all, 1,967 cases of influenza were detected in week 14.
– It is very unusual that we have a flu epidemic so late in the spring. This is because the flu has been kept down by the corona measures since March 2020. Thus, there is much less immunity in the population than normal. The virus thus spreads more easily, writes chief physician Preben Aavitsland at FHI in an email to NTB.
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He points out that last week there were more admissions for influenza in Norway than for covid-19 – about 320 for influenza against about 200 for covid-19.
– Fortunately, few of the flu patients end up in the intensive care unit.
Still growing
The flu vaccine that people received this autumn does not have much effect against infection, but probably protects some against serious illness, according to Aavitsland.
Influenza infection is still increasing, and according to FHI it is uncertain when the peak of the outbreak will be reached, and how large it will be.
– We hope that the Easter holidays will turn the flu epidemic around, but it is still possible that it will continue for many weeks. We are in somewhat unknown terrain here, he says.
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