This is how the infection has developed in Norway’s four largest cities – NRK Vestland

This fall the so-called second crown wave will begin. The number of infections began to rise in September and increased rapidly towards the end of October.

On October 28, the government introduced new national adjustments to infection control measures.

NRK has compiled infection figures for the nation’s four largest cities and calculated infection rates per 100,000 residents.

The graph above shows that Bergen and Oslo in particular were affected by a sharp increase in the number of infected people, while Stavanger and Trondheim have noticed less.

It gives the five-person rule much of the era.

In the last two weeks, on the other hand, Bergen has taken hold and reduced the infection significantly, while Oslo has decreased somewhat, but is still struggling.

Bergen’s medical director gives the controversial five-person rule much of the era for the difference between cities.

– I think the difference in the size allowed in private meetings is important, says Trond Egil Hansen about the difference between the two big cities.

– If you look at the last 14 days, we have achieved a good descent, but it is a descent to a fairly high level, compared to Stavanger and Trondheim. It may have something to do with the big city factor, the department head said.

Also on Friday the decline continued in Bergen, with 25 new cases of infection.

– But we’re not there so we can sit down.

Oslo has 155 new cases of infection, a decrease from 177 the day before. Stavanger today announced three new registrants yesterday, and Trondheim five new ones.

– We have closed better

Hansen believes the reason for Bergen’s success lately is that the municipality introduced the strict measures when it did so on November 6.

– If we had put it off for a day or two, we probably would have had a much more demanding situation now, says Hansen.

– Do you think Bergen is better than Oslo in terms of infection management?

– If you look at the development of the last 14 days, I think there is a basis to say that we have closed better. If you look at the entire fall as one, we see that it has had its ups and downs for both Oslo and Bergen, says Hansen.

He reported on the difference between the two cities in a meeting with Bergen politicians earlier this week, BT writes.

Lowest R-number in Bergen

The development is also reflected in other figures. After nearly a month of strict coronary measurements, the R number in the Helse Bergen area is now 0.6 for week 47.

This means that, on average, each infected person infects another 0.6 people. This reduces the infection.

– It is gratifying that the R number drops more. This means that the measures work and that the population does the work. But we can’t hang our shoulders just yet, writes E claim Hansen, executive director of Haukeland University Hospital in a Twitter message.

On Friday, seven people were admitted with coronavirus, five in Haukeland and two in Voss. There are two less than Thursday. Three patients receive intensive care.

– Now it is important to persevere and thus stay below 1, continued Hansen.

– Oslo should consider its package of measures

Oslo has also introduced a series of strict measures, but it has a reproduction rate of 1.3 and the trend in cases of infection has been increasing recently, according to the National Institute of Public Health.

– Oslo should consider its package of measures if the R number is calculated to be much higher than 1, says Hansen in Bergen.

Bjørn Sletvold is Medical Director in the Municipality of Oslo. In an email to NRK, he notes that development has been very similar for both Oslo and Bergen throughout the fall.

– It is too early to say with certainty whether Oslo and Bergen have managed to reverse the trend in the development of infections, but it looks promising, he writes.

The department head believes that the infection measures in the two cities are essentially the same.

In the future, it is important that the population of both cities agree on locally adopted infection control measures, which are a form of the municipal authorities themselves based on knowledge of their own city and local infection conditions, in close consultation with national authorities, writes Sletvold.

Nakstad: – Oslo is a bigger city

Espen Nakstad, deputy director of the Norwegian Health Directorate, notes that Oslo is a larger city than Bergen, and that experience from Europe shows that larger cities spend more time reducing infection rates.

– It may be due to demographic conditions with larger groups of people that it takes time to catch up with testing and infection tracking, Nakstad writes in an email to NRK.

You agree that it is very important to limit the number of people you are indoors to limit the spread of infection.

– But measures to reduce mobility are also important. Therefore, it is difficult to compare Oslo and Bergen in this area, writes Nakstad.