[ad_1]
– I am very concerned that we are facing a real and acute increase in infection. We are preparing for that to happen, both nationally and regionally.
This is what the municipal chief doctor Frantz Leonard Nilsen in the municipality of Bærum tells Dagbladet. He fears that Norway may face a new wave of infections, which is even greater than those that have hit the country so far with the pandemic.
The background to Nilsen’s concern is high national infection rates, as well as infection rates in the neighboring municipality of Oslo.
– There is an extremely high number in Oslo. High infection generates more infection. We are prepared for this to be the beginning of something even bigger, he says.
Record number of cases in two counties
Bigger than anything we’ve seen so far?
– Yes, even bigger. We are prepared for the worst to come.
– Jump high
Nilsen says the municipality is monitoring the infection situation “closely and daily.” On Wednesday, 33 new cases of infection were reported in the municipality of Bærum. That’s a triple from Tuesday, when 11 cases were reported.
– We jump high when we have infection rates as high as we did today. One is scared by those peaks and fears that tomorrow it will be double.
However, he believes that today’s figures are not necessarily entirely representative.
– Today I looked more closely at the numbers than ever before. I see the lab has been under tremendous pressure this weekend. Many answers that should have come earlier have come later.
In other words, the high number is the result of a delay in the test results, according to Nilsen.
– If I look at the positive responses by test date, I get a completely different number and much calmer. It is simply an accumulation problem.
– Major capacity issues
Test results recorded on Wednesday, March 10, apply to tests going back to Friday, March 5.
– So this represents people who have proven themselves for many days.
Worried about a symptom-free infection
The reason for the delay lies in the laboratory of the Oslo University Hospital (OUS), according to Nilsen.
– They had major capacity issues this weekend, due to a sharp increase in testing from everyone who uses them. It is good that many more are testing themselves, but the numerous outbreaks around generate a lot of testing under municipal auspices.
Basically, the Vestre Viken Hospital is responsible for analyzing the test results of the municipality of Bærum.
– But until they develop the capacity, we use OUS. Starting March 16, we plan to return to Vestre Viken. Overall, we are very satisfied with OUS. We have had a very good collaboration. They have certainly delivered, but we have seen challenges on the weekends, says the municipal chief.
– What are they waiting for?
– Sharp increase
Dagbladet has sent Nilsen’s statements to OUS.
– It is true that in OUS we have had a strong increase in tests for coronary diagnosis in recent days, that is, this weekend and especially in recent days.
Write to department head Fredrik Müller in OUS microbiology department in an email to Dagbladet.
– On Monday, there were almost 15,000 samples, which is more than we can handle in one day. We have implemented measures in the form of reinforced personnel and extension of working hours on weekdays and weekends, says Müller.
Now they follow the situation day by day, in collaboration with Health South-East.
– If you continue with a very high number of samples, it may be relevant to let the Akershus University Hospital take over some test stations for a shorter period, says Müller.
He claims that OUS now receives samples from Tønsberg, Horten, Larvik, Sandefjord, Skien, Arendal, Asker, and Bærum, among others, in addition to Oslo.
New computer attack on the Storting
– We have fantastic employees who are available to analyze samples and catch up on backlogs. We are temporarily expecting a somewhat extended response time – so far we have had an average response time of less than 24 hours – and have informed our applicants about this, says the department head.
– High numbers
Nilsen believes that the municipality of Oslo may also have been hit by challenges related to “a bit too long analysis time” for PCR testing.
The municipal chief physician, Nilsen, believes that the infection rate in Bærum is relatively stable and that fluctuations in daily infection rates are due to occasional delays in test reports.
On average, the municipality probably has around 20 cases of infection a day, according to Nilsen.
– It is also a high number. We are high.
