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On Tuesday, the highest number of infected people was registered in Oslo. 223 new people were infected, 39 more than last week’s average. The previous record was on November 13 with a daily infection of 217 cases.
– The figures show the seriousness of the situation and that the strict measures that were introduced last week are necessary and not least the measures that the city council proposed on Tuesday, says the Minister of Health and Care Services, Bent Høie (H) a TV 2.
He points out that we see the same trend in Norway as in the rest of Europe. Major outbreaks nationwide are driven by outbreaks in large cities.
– When the figures are so high in the capital, what worries you most?
– It’s that we have had a high level of contagion for a long time. It clearly has an impact on a national level because there are many people living in Oslo and because many others also have connections to the capital. The risk of spreading the infection increases, he says.
The Health Minister does not rule out that the Oslo municipality may have to introduce even more stringent measures to be able to reverse development.
INTENSIVE DEPARTMENT: An elderly woman with symptoms of covid-19 in the intensive care unit at Diakonhjemmet in Oslo in May. Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB
– It is urgent
– It is urgent to reverse development in Oslo taking into account the situation in hospitals in the eastern region and to be able to reverse development at the national level, says Høie.
On Tuesday, 139 corona-infected patients were admitted to hospitals in Norway, shows the summary from the Norwegian Health Directorate. 111 of corona patients are hospitalized in the Southeast healthcare region.
– Do you think that the measures that have been introduced now are sufficient or should Oslo introduce even more stringent measures?
– The measures can be good enough, especially since they are well carried out in the population and we are able to maintain high activity in terms of testing, monitoring, isolation of the sick and that people in quarantine follow the quarantine rules says Høie.
At the same time, he says that Oslo has a harder job of controlling the infection as the population is higher in the country and people live closer together.
May be relevant with stricter measures
If the infection does not subside in Oslo, the Minister of Health claims that additional tightening may be necessary.
– There are opportunities for further adjustment, but at the same time they become increasingly difficult. The austerity measures that were applied on Tuesday affect those whom we have tried to protect: young people and children. That’s the challenge, says Høie.
On Tuesday, the Oslo city council management decided, among other things, to ban indoor leisure activities and grassroots sports for young people. At the same time, the level of preparedness in schools will increase and upper secondary school will go from yellow to red in infection control measures.
– If we do not see enough effect from the current austerity measures, we must take even tougher measures. It will further affect children, youth and employment. When you need to toughen up and you’re not in control of the infection, the measures will eventually get there and it’s very unfortunate, he says.
When the infection actually started to increase in Oslo at the end of September, the Oslo city council administration decided to introduce milder measures than those recommended at the national level.
– Do you think Oslo was too slow to introduce strong enough measures?
– I meant what I meant at the time. After that, I feel like the city council has followed the national recommendations very well, he says.
594 infected in one day in Norway
From midnight to Wednesday, the number of infected increased by 594 cases reported nationwide. There are 46 more than the day before and 32 more than the night before Wednesday a week ago, preliminary figures from the National Infectious Disease Notification System (MSIS) show.
– The impression is that the number of infected is not increasing as fast at the national level as it did when we introduced the measures. At the same time, it is too early to say whether the measures are sufficient to reduce the infection. It will be exciting to see him in the coming weeks, says Høie.
He also points out that the weekly report of the National Institute of Public Health on Wednesday afternoon will provide a better picture of the situation.
In the last seven days, a total of 3,599 new cases of infection have been registered in Norway. A total of 30,105 people have been confirmed infected since the pandemic began.
