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Researchers are concerned about two severely altered coronaviruses. A variant of the virus has appeared in England and another in South Africa. The one from England is estimated to be 56 percent more contagious than other varieties, and the one from South Africa is reported to be even more contagious. The South African variant has not been tested in Norway.
In a new risk report released Monday, the National Institute of Public Health writes that there is a high probability that these two variants will spread in Norway.
The English variant has been discovered in two positive Norwegian samples. A case in the municipality of Kinn and a case in Oslo.
The NRK is informed that the National Institute of Public Health does not believe that these cases have led to further infection.
The Kinn Township sample was taken from a symptomatic person in mid-December. Tracing the infection did not lead to the detection of other cases. Only in retrospect, the National Institute of Public Health realized that it was the English variant of the virus.
They realized this when the sample was analyzed on December 27. On the same day, they received confirmation that an infected person in Oslo also carried the virus.
IMPORTANT CHANGES: The principal investigator of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Olav Hungnes, shows some of the mutations in the new variants of the virus. There is a high probability that they will spread in Norway, the institute believes.
Photo: Silje-Lisette Tennøy
Questions about the weather
– Our advice is to set the goals and principles of the government’s strategy: The epidemic must be kept under control so that the capacity of the health service is not overloaded. If and when these more infectious variants become more widespread in the country, more will be needed to keep them under control, says Line Vold.
