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CONCERNED: Director Camilla Stoltenberg of the National Institute of Public Health. Photo: Mattis Sandblad
Infection rates may now be around the same level as when the fall wave was at its highest.
The final figures will not arrive until Wednesday. But as it stands now, the current week may have infection rates that are roughly the same level as when the decline began in November.
Shows preliminary calculations from the National Institute of Public Health (NIPH).
FHI informs VG on Saturday that it will propose new infection control measures as a result of the increase in infection.
– We are currently working to bring short-term measures to the government starting next week to reduce the spread of the infection when everyday life begins again, writes FHI chief physician Preben Aavitsland in an email to VG.
– This social break can give the municipalities and us time to have a better overview of the situation now after the holidays, he adds.
WORKING WITH NEW MEASURES: Chief Physician Preben Aavitsland of the National Institute of Public Health. Photo: Annemor Larsen / VG
– Now we can be back to the level we were at when it changed in November. So there is a great danger that it will exceed that level, FHI Director Camilla Stoltenberg tells NTB.
From Monday, December 28 to Tuesday, December 29, 1,465 out of a total of 22,866 coronavirus tests were positive. This corresponds to 6.4 percent. The share for the same two days the week before was 2.2 percent, FHI writes in a press release.
FHI writes that the numbers are difficult to interpret as there have been limited trial offerings in many places over the Christmas and New Years weekend.
The R number in Norway is now calculated at 1.3. The number indicates how many infected people spread the most.
A reproduction figure of 1.3 means that each person infected with the coronavirus, on average, infects 1.3 more people.
In early December, the National Institute of Public Health estimated the R number to be 0.8.
– Why do you think it has increased so much?
– The R number of around 1.3 was applied for week 52. We believe that more person-to-person contacts at Christmas may have led to more infections. However, the situation is difficult to interpret, writes Aavitsland to VG.
Ask the municipalities to be attentive
The infection trend in Norway is increasing, according to the VG summary, which also shows that 45 municipalities are currently on an increasing trend. Among them, several municipalities with larger cities: Oslo, Drammen, Trondheim, Stavanger, Moss, Lillestrøm, Ålesund and Sandnes.
Several smaller municipalities also have a growing trend. In Trøndelag, several municipalities introduced strict rules during Christmas. The measures in several of the county’s municipalities have been expanded or notified.
“Municipalities are now entering a demanding week in which they have three main tasks: they will carry out extensive testing and monitoring for possible infections, they will monitor and test people who are in quarantine after a trip abroad and they will begin to vaccinate the oldest population, “the press release said.
– It is important that the municipalities are now attentive and can offer tests to many. Early detection and control of outbreaks is crucial, says department director Line Vold at FHI.
INVITE THE MUNICIPALITIES: Director of the Vold Line Department at FHI. Photo: Terje Pedersen
Number of stable hospitalized patients
The number of people with covid-19 disease admitted to Norwegian hospitals remains fairly stable: between 120 and 50 people since mid-November, FHI claims.
Between ten and 25 people have received respiratory treatment at the same time during the same period.
Despite this, FHI is concerned about what may happen after the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
– We are concerned about what will happen when many residents now return home after traveling abroad or in other parts of the country, and daily life begins anew, says Vold.
