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More than half of all corona patients are born abroad, new figures show. The infection in Norway is so skewed that the Prime Minister called a meeting.
Amal (from left to right), Amal and María have been in charge of sewing bandages. The assignment comes through Jasmin’s women’s network. Photo: Dan P. Neegaard
The team has six women. They have set course from the center of Drammen. The target is Gulskogen Gård a couple of kilometers away.
The virus is not only fought by politicians in suits, intensive care nurses in infection control teams and municipal chief doctors.
The fight is also about trips like this.
Here, Ana María Silva-Harper approaches some of the groups that most concern the health authorities. The rates of contagion in the immigrant population have caused the Prime Minister to warn.
– Some have lived here for a long time and are very integrated. They know Norwegian well, they have jobs and networks. Others don’t have this at all, Silva-Harper says.
It is these leaders from the Drammen minority council and the Jasmin women’s network who are working to get there. See how the information that is sent to society does not affect all groups. It’s not just about the language, but also about the culture.
– Many come from countries where the authorities are not your friends, but enemies, he says.
“Journey with meaning” returns after a few months of absence. Deputy leader Nermina Ljeskovica (number three from left) in the women’s network Jasmin has Sito (left), Samira, Suna, Amra and Ibrima on tour this morning. Photo: Dan P. Neegaard
When women go for a walk, they can find an outlet for what they have in mind. At the same time, they receive advice on how to cope with the pandemic. The tips extend further.
Now the stakes are high. Drammen is one of the most contagious areas of the country.
The Prime Minister: – The infection is biased
On Thursday night of last week, Prime Minister Erna Solberg chaired a video meeting.
A few hours earlier, he had stopped at the Storting and given answers on what new measures would reduce the infection in Norway. Now she was searching for answers herself.
Representatives from various immigrant communities have been called in on short notice.
The reason is infection rates that have become increasingly worrisome.
– When we choose to invite this is because we are concerned about development. We need harder work among immigrants and the minority population in Norway, Solberg began.
Right now, infection is skewed in our society, he said.
Erna Solberg invited to a dialogue meeting. Photo: screenshot
These are the numbers
Immigrants have been over-represented among those infected since the pandemic began. As Aftenposten wrote in October, the proportion of foreign-born among corona patients has risen.
In recent weeks, the infection of immigrants has become even clearer, new figures from FHI show.
- Immigrants make up 15 percent of Norway’s population. Last week, they accounted for 37 percent of all reported corona cases.
- Most were born in Poland (236). One important reason is labor immigration. Then followed Somalia (199), Pakistan (94), Iraq (56), Eritrea (49), Afghanistan (47) and Sweden (36).
- If you look at the last four weeks together, the foreign born accounted for 39 percent of cases. In the previous four weeks, the ratio was 33, while it is 34 for the entire pandemic. NIPH believes the dark numbers may be higher among immigrants.
Last week, 81 new corona patients were admitted to Norwegian hospitals. It was double that of the previous week and the highest number since April.
The latest figures from FHI show that more than half were born outside of Norway. Last week, the ratio was 54 percent. This was a 48 percent increase from the previous week.
For the entire pandemic, the proportion is 38 percent.
These responses were again
Representatives of immigrant communities highlighted a number of challenges in the dialogue meeting with Solberg:
- Language. For example, some may have a hard time understanding when and how to assess themselves. NIPH is concerned that some municipalities do not use interpreters for infection detection.
- Cultural differences. Many come from countries where trust in the authorities is low. Many are also not used to the same degree of freedom. Some do not understand the difference between councils and injunctions.
- Social beings. It is perhaps more natural to maintain a distance from the average ethnic Norwegian than for some with minority backgrounds. – We love being together, says Silva-Harper.
- Economy and narrow life. Several generations can live together. It will be even more difficult if relatives from the country of origin come to visit.
- Fear of the consequences. A representative of the Polish community says that several migrant workers have felt pressure to leave the quarantine. Others retain information about the spores.
Part of what limits the work lies in the unwritten rules, Mohamed-Saif Al-Mofty said during the meeting with the prime minister. He runs the non-profit organization U-Turn.
This is especially a problem among people who come from countries with clan culture, he said.
– Those who work with infection tracking do not get enough information. People are afraid of being called quiet.
The fear can be due to a number of things, Silva-Harper says.
– They do not intentionally retain information. Either they don’t fully understand it or they are afraid. I heard someone say, “If I make contact, they may send me out of the country.”
Other explanations have also been discussed: Some immigrant groups have a higher proportion of diseases that increase risk. Some have little contact with the health service. And immigrants are over-represented in various jobs that require contact with many people.
Dusita Khattiya makes Christmas cards. Usually the sewing groups are in this workshop, but due to distance rules, it has been moved to another room. Photo: Dan P. Neegaard
When Norway closed in March, Ana Maria Silva-Harper was concerned about the consequences of further isolation. – Those of us who come from other countries are more social. I notice it myself. It was very difficult for me not to have contact. That is why these meeting places are very important to us. Photo: Dan P. Neegaard
– Important to talk about it
There have been discussions about whether it is correct to highlight the statistics.
It has been feared that mentioning such statistics may contribute to the stigmatization of individual groups. The counterargument is that there is vital information in the fight against the spread of the infection.
– It’s important that we talk about it. When we don’t talk about it, we don’t know what the reasons are and we can’t take appropriate action, Silva-Harper says.
The most important reason for the high number of immigrants is “a higher risk of infection in the parts of Oslo where people live closer and have a lot of contact with each other”, assesses the deputy director of health Espen Rostrup Nakstad.
In Oslo, the reddest districts are also districts with a high proportion of immigrants. At the same time, they are among the districts where most of the people live in crowded conditions.
– It has more to do with socioeconomic aspects than with the origin of the family. Many of the immigrant families are overcrowded and in difficult financial situations, says Oslo Health Councilor Robert Steen.
It highlights that Oslo is a broad-based city of immigrants. There is no group that can be explained together.
The City Council has received reports of challenges at some events.
– We have seen that some weddings have been arranged where there have also been visits from abroad, which have not complied with the regulations, says Councilor Raymond Johansen.
Through Jasmine’s women’s network, women are employed. Today’s task is to sew bandages in different patterns. Photo: Dan P. Neegaard
Want a more direct dialogue
Researchers have investigated how the Somali Norwegians managed to reduce the infection in April. Only when the messages came from our own community ambassadors did the effect come.
The videos were spread person-to-person through social media.
NIPH believes that voluntary organizations play an important role, but that working with information cannot be left to them alone. In many cases, the expertise of a healthcare professional is required to provide accurate advice, they note.
Going forward, the job is to strengthen direct dialogue with the environment, says Health Minister Bent Høie.
– It’s conceivable that we could have been even better. But we have worked a lot from very early, he says.
Silva-Harper sees that direct dialogue works. Information through Facebook and WhatsApp is best collected when they have meeting places in everyday life.
They can be trips or groups that sew bandages: She believes that everything helps to reduce some of the gap between the authorities and the communities.
– I like to say that we represent a quarter of the population of Drammen. We cannot have a charity where a quarter of the population is not involved.
