21 January this year. Family man Petter Sæthre Grahl has just tested positive for corona. His whole family is infected and he has to isolate himself at home. The night before, his mother, Lill Tone Grahl-Jacobsen, had traveled to Petter’s home to give him some food. – I bought his favorite kebab, and he stood on the stairs and waved happily. Everything seemed normal, says Petter’s mother. The last picture of Petter together with his mother Lill Tone Grahl-Jacobsen. Photo: Privat It was to be the last time she saw her son alive. Two days later, the situation changes dramatically. – He said on the phone that he had had a terrible night. He had never been so ill, and could do nothing but lie in bed. I told him that if he experienced any deterioration he should contact the hospital. And he promised that, says the mother. She will never hear Petter’s voice again. Blood clots in the brain Later that evening, he falls into a coma, and is taken by ambulance to Rikshospitalet. During the night, the unthinkable happens. The otherwise healthy and active 33-year-old dies, after having several blood clots in the brain with subsequent brain haemorrhages. Two children, a wife, parents and siblings sit back in shock. Petter was vaccinated just a few weeks before he fell ill, and there was nothing that could have prepared them for what happened. A preliminary autopsy report has given the family some long-awaited answers. – Petter had a violent immunological reaction. His body experienced a so-called cytokine storm, which hit the brain, says Lill Tone Grahl-Jacobsen. It is a rare reaction to the viral infection. She is nevertheless happy that the family has received an answer to what really happened to Petter. – We were very interested in finding this out. The doctors do not believe that it is either genetics or the vaccine that is the cause. It was simply injuries from covid-19 that led to his death, she says. Petter with his father Gisle Grahl-Jacobsen. Photo: Privat Far more people died this year. Unfortunately, Petter’s story is not unique. Although there is a clear preponderance of older people who die, younger people are also affected. So far this year, 158 people under the age of 65 have lost their lives in so-called covid-19-associated deaths. From the turn of the year until 30 November this year, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health has registered a total of 3,047 such deaths. Source: Norwegian Institute of Public Health Since the pandemic started, close to 4,500 people have lost their lives. In other words, a large majority of the deaths have occurred in 2022. Almost every third corona death this year has affected people under the age of 80. The median age for all deaths in this period is 85.6 years. Many of them had other illnesses, but in most cases covid-19 is the underlying cause of death. This means that covid-19 was the most important factor leading to death. On Wednesday, FHI issued a press release stating that there have been 7 per cent more deaths than expected until mid-November this year. – This amounts to approximately 2,700 deaths. The main reason is covid-19, new analyzes from FHI show. Nakstad: Young people can become seriously ill – It is tragic when young people die in a pandemic and many good years of life are lost. Covid-19 is unfortunately still a more serious disease than seasonal flu, both because more people are affected and because more people become seriously ill or have long-term effects, says assistant director of health Espen Rostrup Nakstad. Although it is the elderly who are hit hardest, he believes that the Directorate of Health has been clear that young people can also become seriously ill. Assistant director of health Espen Rostrup Nakstad. Photo: Ksenia Novikova / news – The advice on vaccination and infection control is therefore aimed at the whole population, not just the elderly. The knock-on effects of large waves of infection also affect many younger age groups indirectly, as planned operations and other treatment options are reduced, says Nakstad. – Must accept more deaths He believes it has been important to keep the pandemic under control until the vaccination program is completed, and that it is still important to take into account the most vulnerable in society in periods of high spread of infection. – More than 3,000 have died this year, and most of the dead were fully vaccinated. Do you think this is a death toll we have to live with until we possibly get a more effective vaccine? – We probably have to accept that infectious diseases will still be a common cause of death in the oldest age groups. After we had under-mortality in Norway in 2020-2021 due to fewer infections, we are now seeing signs of over-mortality after periods with a lot of corona infection in 2022, says Nakstad. – To a certain extent, such a development is expected, but that does not mean that the development is desired. Unfortunately, it will take time before the world’s population is sufficiently immunized for the coronavirus to turn into a winter season virus. Only then will we be back to a normal situation in terms of morbidity and mortality, I think. – Not just a cold For Lill Tone Grahl-Jacobsen, covid-19 is not just a cold or flu. Not just because the disease took away her son. As a nurse, she experienced how seriously the virus affected many young people, when the pandemic hit Norway in the winter of 2020. – I was the leader of an infection tracking team in Kongsberg. Then I followed up many young students who were terrified and very ill, she says. – After what happened with Petter, I am of course even more worried. Fortunately, not many people get that sick, but they can get ailments that impair their lives. I have always had great respect for this virus, says Grahl-Jacobsen. First Christmas without Petter. – A chair will be empty, says mum Lill Tone Grahl-Jacobsen. Photo: Jan-Erik Wilthil / news – Petter was one of a total of 158 people under the age of 65 who died of covid-19 this year. What do you think about it? – There are many. These are people who are not at an age where we expect them to die. It’s dramatic. She believes that society no longer takes covid-19 seriously enough. – We were good at the start, but then the fatigue showed. When we see these consequences, I think we should have some lasting measures. We are not done with this. The infection is still here, she says. This year’s Christmas will be the first the family celebrates without Petter. – It will be special. This year, everyone will gather at our place. We are happy that we will be together, but there is someone we will miss very much. Petter offered a lot of himself, had a lot of care and initiative, and laughed a lot. It is a bit quieter in our family companies now than it was before. He will be missed in every way, she says. Hi! Do you have any input or tips after reading this case? Please send me an email.
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Petter (33) died of injuries from corona – became one of the pandemic’s young victims – news Oslo og Viken – Local news, TV and radio
