– This worries me – VG

The number is also the highest in a week since the epidemic began, writes FHI in its latest weekly report. It also states that eight people under the age of 30 were admitted to the hospital with corona infection last week.

Health Minister Bent Høie (H) tells VG that he is concerned about the numbers, confirming that many younger people can also become seriously ill when the infection spreads faster.

– This worries me and says how important it is that we manage to reduce the infection even if the oldest and most vulnerable have been vaccinated, says Health Minister Bent Høie to VG.

– When the infection spreads faster with a virus leading to more hospital admissions, which now unfortunately spreads to younger age groups, this is sadly the result.

The trend in the number of new hospital admissions is also increasing for all age groups. 153 new admissions were reported in week 10, which is the highest number since the end of March last year. There is also a 55 percent increase from week 9.

At Vestfold and Telemark, there have never been so many admissions in one week. In Oslo, the number increased from 36 to 59, while in Viken it increased from 36 to 48, both the highest numbers since March last year.

High infection record

FHI now also estimates for the first time that the level of infection is higher than ever, the latest modeling report shows.

Previously, the infection was assumed to be highest in the March-April period of last year, taking into account the dark numbers as a result of less testing. The infection is now believed real Is higher.

The Health Minister says it is disappointing to see the infection at its highest point for a year after the pandemic.

– It is a very uncertain number because we tested less in March of last year. But whatever the situation, we have a more contagious variant of the virus that leads to more hospital admissions. It’s a serious situation, he says.

– It was said that the fall wave we experienced last year could have been prevented and that we may have done very little to stop it. Now that a year has passed, do you think it is a defeat to see that we have a third or maybe a fourth wave then?

– Yes I think so. I wish we weren’t in this situation and that the measures we put in place at the national and local levels would hamper the increase we see, says Høie.

– Did you think we would make it?

– I thought we would make it, but it turns out we didn’t make it. This means that the stricter measures that have come in now are necessary, so we are excited about how this works, says Høie.

– We see that several other countries have managed to reverse development even with a more contagious virus, but it has taken longer and required more measures, says the Minister of Health.

The death toll remains low

Despite an increase in reported cases and an increasing trend in the number of new hospital admissions, the number of deaths is at a low level, writes FHI.

This despite the fact that a record weekly infection was reported with 5,337 confirmed cases in week 10, a 28 percent increase from the previous week.

Oslo has by far the highest number of reported cases per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Viken and Vestfold and Telemark. These areas account for 83 percent of the cases reported in week 10. On the other hand, infection is lower in Møre og Romsdal and Trøndelag.

The proportion of positive tests was higher in the age group 0 to 5 years (4%), 6 to 12 years (3.4%) and 13 to 19 years (3%).