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New infections appear constantly in Østfold. More than 200 have been confirmed to be corona-infected and around 1,500 have been quarantined in Sarpsborg and Fredrikstad.
The reason is a Christmas celebration at the Islamic Al-Ghadir center in Skjeberg last weekend.
– The outbreak in Østfold is the largest we have had in Norway since we gained control of the pandemic this spring, writes assistant health director Espen Nakstad in an email to Dagbladet on Sunday.
On Sunday afternoon, Sarpsborg Mayor Sindre Martinsen-Evje says they are not ruling out a report for violation of the Infection Control Act.
Dagbladet has tried to get a comment from the head of the Al-Ghadir Islamic Center, but to no avail on Sunday night.
– decisive
– It is absolutely crucial that we reduce the spread of infection quickly so that there is no major regional outbreak, Nakstad writes.
Only 1 in 5 who test positive have the virus
On Sunday, twelve new cases of infection were confirmed in Sarpsborg, municipal chief physician Karianne Jenseg Bergman told NTB.
A regional outbreak can have significant consequences.
– If this happens, it is not certain that people’s own efforts to follow infection control advice and the infection detection work of municipalities will be sufficient to gain control. We follow the situation closely. The next few days will show if the outbreak is returning or if further action will be necessary, Nakstad writes.
Health Minister Bent Høie writes in an email to Dagbladet on Saturday night that the government will spend the next few weeks evaluating the way forward.
– Currently, the municipalities have control at the local level. We are closely monitoring the situation and the government will take a position in the coming weeks on the way forward. It’s important for all of us to be aware of helping to prevent the spread of infection now – keep your distance, wash your hands, and be home and test for symptoms, Høie writes.
– High risk
In addition to the eruption at Sarpsborg and Fredrikstad, there has been a major eruption at the Norwegian School of Management (NHH) in Bergen in the last week. There are 127 confirmed infected students. Also, some UiB students are infected, which means that the total number of infected students is 192.
– All the affected municipalities of Bergen, Sarpsborg and Fredrikstad make a great effort and are in control in the sense that the infection detection and testing work is in full swing, writes Nakstad.
Warns cross-border traders after “full gear”
– However, there is a high risk in such large outbreaks that certain cases of infection go undetected and may spread to new “groups”. This can prolong the duration of outbreaks and, in the worst case, lead to further spread of the infection to other municipalities, it concludes.
“Has preliminary control”
Health Minister Bent Høie writes in an email to Dagbladet on Saturday night that he believes the local outbreaks are well managed.
– Municipalities have managed local outbreaks very well and have them under control for now, writes the Minister of Health.
Norway approaches Sweden
The infection pressure in Bergen was estimated earlier this week at four times the FHI limit to turn “red.” If Bergen had been abroad, travelers would have had to be quarantined for ten days after being in the city.
When asked if it is relevant to local quarantine rules, Høie replies that it is the municipality that decides.
– It is up to the municipalities if they want to evaluate the local quarantine rules according to the guide for this. To get the best possible effect from the measures, it is important that municipal infection control measures are coordinated with national ones so that we all go in the same direction, Høie writes.
You have removed the distance requirements
You can get vaccinated for Christmas
Health director Bjørn Guldvog tells Dagbladet that work to get a vaccine is underway, but he doesn’t think there will be any vaccinations in November, as expected.
– No I dont think so. We are probably close to getting the first vaccines from AstraZeneca, with which Norway and the EU have signed an agreement. They have likely produced their first vaccines for the holiday season. I also think they didn’t come to Norway until a little later in the year.
The EU has already ordered 400 million doses of vaccines from pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, which is developing its vaccine in collaboration with the University of Oxford. The EU is also negotiating with vaccine manufacturers Sanofi-GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Curevac and Moderna.
Norway receives help from Sweden to secure vaccine doses through the EU procurement agreement, but demand will likely be greater than production capacity at first. Norway has therefore created a working group to assess which groups should be given priority.
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