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The measures have started to work, but the decline in infection in Norway has stopped. The government has decided to keep the measures until January.
This is what Health Minister Bent Høie (H) says at the government press conference on the status of the crown.
– This fall, the infection increased in Norway. The virus spread rapidly to all counties. Now we see that the measures have started to work. Although infection rates are high, they have begun to stabilize. But the decline has stopped, Høie says.
He points out that several of our neighboring countries are developing negatively, and that we must be prepared for the same to happen here:
– The situation can change quickly, emphasizes the Minister of Health.
At Christmas, many people travel from one municipality to another. For this reason, the government has decided to maintain the national measures until the second half of January. Høie also has a clear message for people with symptoms in the run-up to Christmas:
– You must not stop putting yourself to the test so as not to celebrate Christmas in quarantine. If you have symptoms or suspect that you are infected, you should get tested.
The government also advises people to stay home most of the time in the coming weeks. Also avoid attending social gatherings in the days leading up to traveling from an area with high infection pressure to an area with low infection pressure.
Increased infection pressure in Oslo and Viken
The government has received comments indicating that employers are cheating airline tickets to circumvent quarantine rules. Høie warns that the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority has increased its monitoring activities.
– More workplaces must be prepared to receive more visits from the audit, he says.
Department Director Line Vold at FHI notes that there has been no decline in infection rates in the last week. The highest incidence of the virus is in Oslo and Viken, which together account for 2/3 of the country’s infections.
– But these counties seem to have fairly stable infection rates in week 50. There are also large variations between municipalities and, for example, between districts of Oslo, says Vold.
He also noted that viruses with changes in the so-called nail protein have been discovered in the UK. This protein looks like a crown sticking out of the virus and has an effect on how easily it is transmitted.
Britain recently issued a warning and toughened up after the discovery of this mutated virus.
– It seems to be more contagious. FHI monitors and monitors similar viruses here in Norway. UK viruses have a number of changes and cannot be directly compared to what we’ve seen here, says Vold.
Implementation team: ready to start vaccination
Starting today, the sending of vaccination teams to the municipalities will begin. Over the next two weeks, all municipalities will have enough equipment to begin vaccination as soon as it is in place, says Deputy Health Director Geir Stene-Larsen.
The kit list includes syringes, syringe tips, and hazardous waste bags. About half of the equipment will ship in December, while the rest will ship during January-March.
– We have bought different types of equipment to be prepared for all varieties of vaccines. We have also bought coolers to transport vaccines, says Stene-Larsen.
When asked by TV 2 if Norway can be expected to start vaccination earlier than expected, if the EU also approves it earlier, Line Vold responds:
– We relate to the approval system in Europe. If we receive the vaccine in Norway at an earlier stage, we are ready to start the vaccination.
The decision to extend the measures is in accordance with the recommendation to the Government of the Norwegian Health Directorate and NIPH, where they mainly recommend continuing with the measures until after the New Year.
They also submitted proposals for changes to some of the measures.
Among other things, they believe that the recommendation to stay home and limit social contact with other people is an intrusive measure that “is no longer proportional.”
– The advice should be considered changed to: In the coming weeks, everyone should limit contact with other people than the people you live with, writes FHI in the recommendation.
The case is being updated.
