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On Friday, Health Minister Bent Høie declared that the government will give priority to offering the corona vaccine to all residents over 45 years of age in Svalbard “infection free”. This is because it will be very difficult to deal with an outbreak there.
– Can this lead to an earlier reopening in Svalbard than in the rest of Norway?
– The plan for Norway’s reopening is something we will return to, says Secretary of State Saliba Andreas Korkunc at the Dagbladet Ministry of Health and Care Services.
– Does the National Institute of Public Health recommend this solution?
– FHI’s role in this is only related to practical implementation, says Korkunc.
Contingency considerations
Dagbladet also asked to what extent the ministry has taken into account the pressure of infection in Svalbard in relation to the decision to prioritize vaccination of all permanent residents over the age of 45.
– The decision to expedite the vaccination of permanent residents of Svalbard was made on the basis of emergency preparedness. An infection outbreak in Svalbard will be very demanding on the health service there, and an evacuation of patients to the mainland will require huge resources from Helse Nord, says Korkunc.
According to Statistics Norway, 2,417 inhabitants have been registered in Longyearbyen and Ny-Ålesund. The Ministry states that the proportion of the population in Svalbard that is at increased risk of severe disease from COVID-19 is lower than in the general population.
– In the first instance, the vaccine will be offered to all people over 45 years of age, so it is a relatively limited group of people.
National crown regulations also cover Svalbard, with some exceptions and adjustments related to quarantine and testing regulations, as well as tourist activities. In addition, a bandage order was entered in Longyearbyen as of March 11.
Very happy
Dagbladet has contacted the Governor of Svalbard, who is referring to the Ministry of Health and Care Services. In a press release, Local Board Chairman Arild Olsen of Longyearbyen Local Board says he is very happy with this news.
– I am very happy with this news and I want to praise the government. It is also appropriate to commend the local population and the local business community, who have demonstrated tremendous capacity to handle the pandemic, says Olsen in the press release, continuing:
– Fortunately, we have remained infection free. We have succeeded because we have good cooperation at the local and national level. What will be important in the future is to help us continue to keep it that way. It would be very unfortunate to enter a vaccination program with infection.
Starts in March
Based on the FHI Sober Vaccination Scenario, it is anticipated to be able to offer the corona vaccine to all people over 45 years of age in Norway during July. Health Minister Høie states in a press release that vaccination of the Svalbard population will start from March.
– Longyearbyen Hospital, in collaboration with the Longyearbyen Governor and Local Council, will be able to organize faster vaccination of permanent residents throughout Svalbard. The Ministry of Health and Care Services handles vaccination through a separate allocation to the National Institute of Public Health, Høie says in the press release.
