Nakstad about the corona situation: – Not a good sign

In the last seven days, an average of 1667 corona infections have been registered per day, and the trend is rising. On Monday, 225 corona-infected patients were admitted to hospitals in Norway, which is the highest number since April.

Several hospitals report capacity challenges in the face of coronary heart disease and RS virus. St. Olav’s hospital in Trondheim has, among other things, had to postpone all scheduled operations that require hospitalization and that can wait. The hospital has a record number of patients admitted with corona, at the same time as sickness absence has doubled among the employees.

– We are worried if the trend does not reverse. This does not get easier towards the winter season, as we also get other respiratory diseases such as the flu. Therefore, it is important to reverse this trend now, says assistant health director Espen Rostrup Nakstad to TV 2.

– Not a good sign

Nakstad points out that 55 percent of the people who are hospitalized are elderly and vaccinated. 45 percent are unvaccinated in lower age groups.

– The people who are furthest away and have the greatest chance of ending up in the intensive care unit are unvaccinated, he says.

– Are you worried?

– Because the pressure on the hospitals has been great for a long time, and we are one and a half years into a pandemic, it is not a good sign that you have to postpone operations, Nakstad says.

He further says that the vaccines are not enough to turn the situation around with high infection and hospitalization rates.

– We live in a society with a lot of contact between people, and we are more indoors in the winter. Then the vaccine effect alone is not enough to keep this completely in check unless even more people get vaccinated or we get an even more accurate vaccine, he says.

This will be crucial

On Friday, the government presented a package of measures. Everyone over the age of 18 will be offered a third dose of vaccine, and the municipalities can use corona passports to avoid closing down offers.

On Monday, the director of St. Olav’s hospital called for more comprehensive measures.

– I am concerned that there will be measures that work. We can no longer tolerate employees who are ill and fuller hospitals. We hope that the situation improves in the society around us, said director Grethe Aasved TV 2.

– What does it take for more intrusive measures to come to the table?

– Now there have been many measures in the last week. Everyone over the age of 65 is encouraged to take the third dose and everyone should be home when they are ill. Several municipalities also with package of measures such as bandages, distance and corona certificate, he says.

At the same time, he believes that it is crucial that the population follows the measures.

– Measures without compliance have no effect. If we comply with the measures together with the effect of the vaccines, it is probably enough, says Nakstad.

–