– This is probably the start of a new covid-19 wave in Norway. This is what the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI) writes in a new weekly report. The number of people admitted to hospital with corona has increased in recent weeks, with 166 new patients last week. It is up 16 from the previous week. – There is nothing dramatic about the increase, but over several weeks now we have seen an increase in hospital admissions, says Preben Aavitsland, specialist director of FHI. He says the winter wave we are entering now will not be bigger than the one we had this summer. – We must be prepared for the spread of respiratory viruses in the coming weeks and months, as is always the case in winter, says Assistant Director of the Directorate of Health Espen Rostrup Nakstad. The situation will not be as serious as it was at the start of the pandemic. Nakstad says there are three good reasons for this: Less serious illness – The number of infected people who become seriously ill is much lower now than earlier in the pandemic. This also applies to the number of people hospitalized who need intensive treatment, says Nakstad. It is because population immunity has been strengthened through vaccination and that many have been ill. – The vaccines that have been used until now continue to protect against serious illness, despite the fact that the virus has changed over two and a half years. Assistant Director of the Directorate of Health, Espen Rostrup Nakstad, says they monitor the strain on the healthcare system and have a close dialogue with the municipal and specialist health services. Photo: ISMAIL BURAK AKKAN / news A new omicron variant BF 7 is currently spreading in Europe, and it has also arrived in Norway. – It is important to remember that viruses change all the time depending on which properties are most favorable for the virus. The coronavirus has changed since it appeared at the end of 2019. Tablet treatment for at-risk patients – We will soon have tablet treatment, says Nakstad. The tablet treatment can be used early in the course of the disease for people with, for example, a weakened immune system or who for other reasons need such treatment. – This is a drug called Paxlovid which we have ordered through the EU, he says. This is what the Paxlovid tablets that will soon arrive in Norway look like. Photo: JOE RAEDLE / AFP For a certain group of at-risk patients, the drug will reduce the possibility of one being admitted to hospital if one has been infected, according to Nakstad. The number of deaths is falling The number of corona deaths in the world has fallen sharply since last winter, according to figures from the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says 9,400 deaths related to covid-19 were reported in the world last week. There are almost 90 per cent fewer internals than in February, when 75,000 were registered in one week. Tedros is still not completely satisfied. – Almost 10,000 deaths a week is 10,000 too many for a disease that can be cured and cured, he says. Figures from the WHO show that over 6 million people have died from covid-19 so far in the pandemic. This photo is from Germany in January 2021. Photo: JENS SCHLUETER / AFP Last week, 2.1 million new cases of corona infection were reported worldwide. In Norway, corona deaths have remained relatively stable in recent months. The weekly report from FHI says the number has been between 22 and 44. While in February the number was between 80 and 100 deaths, statistics from FHI show. – The most important reason why the mortality rate is going down is that the most exposed people are vaccinated and that the vaccines protect well against serious illness, says Nakstad.
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Three good reasons why this wave is not as serious as before – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
