Infections are on the rise in Norway – restrictions expected

– We think we are in a very dangerous situation because of the very rapid increase in the number of micro-cases in other countries, which we are also seeing a start here in Norway, says Camilla Stoltenberg of the National Institute of Public Health (FHI) at a press conference after a meeting with, among other things , Minister of Health Ingvild Kjerkol.

The omicron variant doubled between weeks 48 and 49 in Norway, according to FHI figures, which predict a sustained increase in the prevalence of infection.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store told the NTB news agency that the alternative was a game-changer and that the capacity to care must be protected.

– the situation is dangerous. The spread of infection is very high. We must put in place measures to limit this development.

He told NRK that the restrictions will affect people’s daily lives. According to the information VG New restrictions may be announced later on Monday.

A significant increase

According to a calculation model from the FHI, within three weeks, there could be between 90,000 and 300,000 new cases of infection per day, with a risk of 50 to 200 new patients hospitalized each day if the spread of infection does not slow dramatically.

If we don’t have procedures that work quickly, we could end up in this situation in a few weeks, says FHI Director General Camilla Stoltenberg.

In its report, FHI wrote: “The omicron variant is about to establish itself in Norway and will soon become dominant. The spread of infection will increase significantly.”

bleak forecast

Last week, 660 people with the omicron variant were registered in Norway, compared to 293 the week before. A total of 958 cases of omicron have been reported in the country.

On Sunday, 331 coronavirus patients were hospitalized, the highest number so far in Norway. However, the proportion of people with deltavirus who need hospital treatment is lower than last year due to vaccinations, Deputy Health Director Espen Rostrop Nakstad tells NTB news agency.

According to him, the Christmas holidays are in themselves a period when the risk of infection is reduced due to school closures, but many gather at homes to celebrate Christmas.

We urge everyone to make sure they are healthy, he says.

Seven percent of all people over 45 in Norway are not immune to COVID-19, but they make up 40 percent of those cared for with the disease in Norwegian hospitals, according to the FHI.