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YOU MAY LOSE CONTROL: FHI Director Camilla Stoltenberg believes that control is worse now than it has been, but that we are not in the same situation as we were in March. Photo: Terje Bendiksby, NTB
Authorities believe they have control over the outbreaks in Norway, but warn that with the current increase in infection, it can change rapidly.
The situation has deteriorated significantly, FHI Director Camilla Stoltenberg said after presenting the latest weekly report on Wednesday.
Last week, 1,686 cases of infection were recorded, a 79 percent increase compared to the previous week. Since the last week of March, no more people have been infected in a week in Norway.
– The risk of losing control is greater than last week. It’s clear that when the infection increases as fast as it does now, control is worse than it has been so far, Stoltenberg tells VG.
– But you mean you’re in control?
– It is not the case that we do not have control, because here a lot is done and there are improvements from week to week. And there is also no exact absolute limit to when you are not in control, replies the director of FHI.
She explains that she loses control, for example, if she abandons monitoring for infections or if thousands of infected people return home from a trip abroad that she does not detect early enough.
– But I don’t want to say that we are in that situation now, Stoltenberg emphasizes.
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– Increases alarmingly much
On Wednesday, according to VG’s summary, 50 people were admitted with covid-19 in Norwegian hospitals. This is the highest number of admissions since May.
FHI believes that the increase in admissions may corroborate that there is a greater spread of the infection in the population.
– We believe that there is a greater generalized infection in the population and more that goes unnoticed. It is part of the infection, especially in the Oslo area, that we cannot determine the cause, that is, find out where it came from. When the numbers increase overall, the hidden infection will also increase, says health director Bjørn Guldvog.
NOT SAFE: Director Bjørn Guldvog of the Norwegian Directorate of Health warns that with current infection rates we are not safe from national outbreaks. Photo: Terje Bendiksby, NTB
– How do you assess the risk of national outbreaks?
– We still have control over most of the outbreaks in Norway, but it is still true that we are approaching a situation of national spread. Infection rates are increasing alarmingly, so some measures are needed so that we can have better control once again, says Guldvog, adding:
– But we are not sure and we depend on the great efforts of all of us to make this happen.
High: – The risk is higher
The Minister of Health and Sanitary Services, Bent Høie (H), agrees that the authorities still have control over the infection in Norway.
– But we must stay in control. It is a common message from us, the Norwegian Directorate of Health and the NIPH. But the risk of losing control is greater than it has been, he says.
New government measures against the spread of the infection went into effect Wednesday night. Among other things, you should now have no more than five guests in private homes, apart from family members.
However, there has been a lot of confusion about some of the measures. Here, deputy health director Espen Nakstad answers questions from VG readers.
