– I am worried. We have already reached the number of patients that we had expected only in 2025, says Jørn Einar Rasmussen, head of the Norwegian Association for Acute and Outpatient Medicine. He is currently an emergency specialist at Drammen Hospital. Now he is experiencing a disturbing trend. – Not sick with covid – We never have fewer than 100 patients every day. There are well-grown people with all sorts of ailments. We don’t understand why, says Rasmussen. Leader of the Association for Emergency and Hospital Medicine, Jørn Einar Rasmussen. Photo: Jan-Erik Wilthil / news He has been in contact with several other emergency departments in the country. All report a mysterious increase in the number of patients. Few of them are sick with covid. – There are no diseases that stand out in particular. It is worrying, says Rasmussen. Now the emergency specialist is calling out a warning to the health authorities. – We see that it is necessary to speak out about this trend. If this continues, it could put the hospitals in a pressured situation in the future. In December, the employees at the emergency departments in Helse Sør-Öst will gather for a meeting to survey the situation. More people are dying At the same time, the death toll is also increasing. In Norway, an increased mortality rate of more than 10 percent has been recorded so far this year. – This is more than we had expected. The figures are partly inexplicable, says demographer Anders Sønstebø at Statistics Norway. Demographer Anders Sønstebø at Statistics Norway. Photo: per kristian lie lowe / Private So far this year, 3,250 more deaths have been registered, compared to the same period in 2019. A large proportion of this increase is due to deaths as a result of the pandemic. The figures also show that the deaths largely occur among the oldest in the population. Nevertheless, the excess mortality is so high that it makes statisticians raise their eyebrows. – I think that we may have to adjust life expectancy for both sexes down in 2022, says Sønstebø. It is the first time in 25 years. Life expectancy for men has risen steadily since 1997. And Norway is not in a special position. Figures from Eurostat, which is Europe’s statistical agency, show that mortality has increased sharply in several countries. Mortality has increased sharply in several European countries in 2022. Photo: Eurostat Nakstad is concerned – We are aware that hospital admissions have been persistently high in recent months. We are concerned, says Assistant Director of Health in the Directorate of Health, Espen Rostrup Nakstad. He fears that influenza, combined with a new corona wave this winter, could lead to increased pressure on the health service. Assistant director of health Espen Rostrup Nakstad. Photo: ISMAIL BURAK AKKAN / news – Therefore, it is important that people follow the advice to take a booster dose of the corona vaccine, or flu vaccine if they are in the risk groups. – What is the explanation for so many suddenly falling ill now? – During the pandemic, we had fewer hospitalized patients with other diseases. People generally lived more carefully. Now we are back to normal. In addition, we have a slowly aging population. In addition, there may be coincidences which mean that the number of admissions has increased. Nakstad believes the increased mortality may be a late effect of last year’s pandemic. – We have had a low mortality rate during the pandemic. Those who have not yet been affected by the pandemic have become older, and are thus more vulnerable. It can also be reflected in an increased incidence of disease in the population, says Nakstad.
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More people get sick and die – doctors sound the alarm – news Oslo og Viken – Local news, TV and radio
