No one knows where the virus comes from, it has now been discovered in both Trondheim and Hyllestad – NRK Vestland

The infection has increased in Trondheim recently. Several nightclubs are closed and more than a thousand people have been quarantined. The Trondheim municipal chief believes that the virus is a variant that spreads more easily.

Last Thursday, news came that 220 NTNU students were quarantined after two students were diagnosed with coronary heart disease.

80 shipyard workers were infected

A similar variant of the virus was also discovered during the outbreak in Hyllestad municipality. The small township was 100 times above the red infection level after an outbreak dating back to the Havyard shipyard. A total of 80 people were diagnosed with the infection and the yard had to be closed for more than two weeks.

A similar virus has also been reported in the UK. FHI is investigating whether this is the same variant that leads to mass distribution in England and Wales.

Take a closer look at more viruses

In October alone, two different variants of the coronavirus were discovered in Norway.

It is quite common for a virus to mutate, but FHI believes it is important to take a closer look at the virus that originates in Trondheim and Hyllestad. It applies to the infection on the Rogaland tour bus, where most of the passengers were infected. These are two different variants that we have not had in Norway until now.

The tour bus variant has also been discovered in other European countries and Australia.

Check if it’s more contagious

For NRK, the director of the department, Line Vold, says that analyzes of the genetic material of these viruses show that they are quite similar to each other, and most likely in close relatives. She says it is natural for there to be changes in a virus.

– We hope to see changes in the future. We check this in our reference lab, says Vold.

– Do we see a more contagious variant?

“We don’t know yet. We will investigate this further and compare it with the epidemiological information from the outbreak.”

There may be other varieties in the UK.

– A similar virus has only been reported in the UK, where there is now a massive spread. Is there any reason to believe that it is the same?

– In the UK, they have increased the infection across the country and there are many different variants of the coronavirus in circulation, so the increase is not related to a single variant of the virus, explains Vold.

– What does it possibly have to say about the work on limiting the spread?

– The mechanisms to stop the spread of infection are the same. It’s important to get started quickly with infection tracking work and be quick to track contacts and view them in quarantine.

The mayor does not rule out the same virus

Hyllestad Mayor Kjell Eide (Labor Party) does not know the details of the new variant, but when he hears the theories, he does not believe that the most completely unrealistic.

– It may be part of the reason why so many got infected here with us, he says.

Eide says that in any case it doesn’t matter how they have organized the infection control work now. But he admits they weren’t well enough foreshadowed by the big outbreak at the shipyard.

– We were not the platform for such a large outbreak, but after all we managed to get ahead by acting correctly, says Eide.

And for municipalities that are now experiencing new outbreaks, you have this stimulus:

– Take it seriously and take it seriously. It spreads quickly. And ask your state health authorities for help.