The government is signaling that they will “open society” in September and remove most of the current infection control measures. Solberg and Høie estimate that a large proportion of the country’s children and young people will be infected with covid-19 during the autumn through such a policy, but that this is unproblematic because younger people tolerate the virus well.
The first is correct: FHI’s own forecasts (page 12) whether the development of infection upon release of the delta variant operates with over one million infected during the autumn, half children and young people. Unfortunately, the latter is wrong: Recent international research shows that most children and adolescents can tolerate the virus, but some have long-term complications.
Introduces new measures
In a small proportion become so ill that they have to be hospitalized, some with MIS-C, a severe immune reaction that occurs 2-6 weeks after infection, and which can cause organskader. Although the proportion affected is low, the number of children who get these ailments will be significant if up to 500,000 should be infected.
Unacceptable
A number of studies has demonstrated long covid in children and adolescents after undergoing infection. The extent is unknown, but serious for those concerned. In the UK, where the infection has been more widespread than here, it is being created 15 long-covid outpatient clinics for children. In Norwegian study shows that around 50% in the age group 16–30 years had symptoms that lasted more than half a year after undergoing covid-19.
The government is either unaware of the health consequences of releasing the covid virus in society now, or wants a quick political gain before the parliamentary elections. Both are unacceptable. In any case, they expose an entire generation of children and young people to unnecessary and unavoidable health risks.
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By signaling already now that society will be reopened “in September”, the Government is helping to make the pandemic safer. This can quickly lead to a lack of motivation in the population and poorer compliance with the infection control councils in the coming critical weeks.
Disqualification
The decision to open society in September also makes the parents of children and young people incapacitated. The EU has approved the mRNA vaccines we use for children down to 12 years. FHI has already recommended that The 16- and 17-year-olds will be offered a vaccine, and is considering whether the vaccine program should be extended to 12 years. The vaccine manufacturers also carry out trials with younger children. New knowledge about this will come during the autumn.
A decision to reopen society in September deprives Norwegian parents of the opportunity to choose between vaccine or covid infection for their children, because many children and young people will be infected before they are offered the vaccine. The government also ignores many children’s clear desire for vaccine rather than infection.
Premature reopening of Norway also means that many vaccinated people become infected and ill. Infected children and adolescents will infect their vaccinated parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. Even with good vaccine efficacy, a large number of infected children and adolescents will lead to a large number of infected and sick vaccinated adults.
– We are on guard
The pressure on the hospitals and on our limited intensive care capacity will again increase. Some of those who become ill will not survive the infection, even if they have been fully vaccinated. FHI’s own estimates for the delta variant varies between 400 and 2600 covid-dead in total at release in autumn.
Three requirements
To avoid exposing both children and young people and the rest of the population to unacceptable health risks, we demand:
1. The government must postpone the reopening of the country until it is medically justifiable. This means waiting until the vaccine has been offered to all age groups who can be properly vaccinated.
2. Pending a decision to extend the vaccine program to lower age groups, the infection must be kept under control at a very low level of infection through necessary infection control measures. Municipalities must continue to have the resources to continue the current TISK strategy and quickly crack down on local outbreaks with targeted local infection control measures. National measures must be reintroduced if current developments continue and the infection gets out of control again.
– Look at corona as the flu
3. The government must make it clear that the way out of the pandemic is not through herd immunity, as by accepting infection of children and young people, but by offering vaccine to everyone who can be vaccinated, while keeping the level of infection low.
Political game
The future verdict against the Solberg government will be harsh if they continue the “release policy” they have now signaled. If we turn around in time, we still have good opportunities to stop the fourth wave of infection in Norway in its infancy.
Everyone wants to return to normal everyday life as soon as possible with more freedom and fewer infection control measures. The danger to the health of children and young people means that the haste is not worth the price.
The government must receive a clear message from both parents and grandparents, and from children and young people themselves, that their future health is much more important than a very risky political game in the election campaign.
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