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CLEAR PRIORITY: Nursing home residents will be the first to get vaccinated against coronavirus in Norway. After that, healthy older people will be vaccinated. Photo: Gisle Oddstad, VG
The National Institute of Public Health has now determined who will be first in line when the corona vaccine arrives in Norway. Healthy older people should take priority over people with underlying illnesses, the institute says.
Nursing home residents are first in line when the long-awaited corona vaccine will be distributed across the country, FHI states in its recommendations.
On Friday it became known that Norway will be able to start vaccination already this Christmas. In total, the first delivery will consist of between 40,000 and 50,000 doses of vaccine. Administering the first dose of the vaccine to all nursing home residents across the country will probably suffice.
When nursing homes have been vaccinated, it is the turn of the healthy elderly 85 years and older. They are prioritized before people with underlying disease, according to the recent recommendation.
– The knowledge that we have so far about the severe course and mortality of covid-19 is clear that age is the dominant risk factor. We still don’t know why this is the case, but we are clear that it is now, says Norwegian Institute of Public Health chief physician Are Stuwitz Berg of VG’s priorities.
The preliminary recommendations are based on knowledge about the disease and who is most at risk of developing serious disease. In addition, knowledge about vaccines and their properties is used as a basis.
Many more doses than expected
In principle, Norway should not receive more than just under 10,000 doses of vaccine in the first delivery. On Friday, however, vaccine coordinator Richard Bergström was able to say that delivery will be significantly higher.
It is Bergström who has now negotiated many more vaccine doses for Norway.
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If the EU Commission approves the Pfizer vaccine on Christmas Eve, Norway can receive the first deliveries from December 27.
The calculation of the number of doses to Norway in the coming weeks will be as follows:
- 40-50,000 in space Christmas
- 40,000 in week 1
- 40,000 in week 2
This means that by January 17 we can receive 130,000 doses.
LONG DAYS: Work at the National Institute of Public Health is now in full swing to get logistics in place before the first doses of vaccine arrive in Norway this Christmas. Photo: Trond Solberg, VG
More vaccines does not mean a faster vaccination
Distributing almost 50,000 vaccines is not an easy task. FHI is now working hard to solve the latest logistics challenges, says Berg.
– This is complicated logistics. First the doses will go to all regions and then to the 356 municipalities of the country. We must know that municipalities are ready, says Chief Physician Are Stuwitz Berg of the National Institute of Public Health.
Therefore, according to the superior, it is not a fact that they are vaccinated more at an earlier time, even if more doses are accessed than expected in the first delivery.
– Those of us who work with the vaccine program have worked intensely in recent months and it was no less intense when we reached a final delivery time. So it’s a hectic job and it’s all man to the pumps.
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The municipality of Oslo has already presented clear plans on how they will distribute the vaccine.
– This year is not my sunny day, December 21, but the day we got the first vaccine. Now it is changing, from here it is on the right track, a satisfied health councilor Robert Steen (Labor) told VG on Friday.
Where and who will receive the first dose of vaccine has not yet been decided, Berg says. Ask people to have ice on their stomach.
– It is more important that we administer these doses in the correct way without wasting anything, than doing it too quickly.
