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COVID-19

Should Norway brace itself for an autumn coronavirus wave?

Several European countries are facing an autumn wave of coronavirus. Should Norwegians be worried?

Published: 10 October 2022 10:36 CEST
Man with facemask
Infection figures in Norway have been stable in the last month. Photo by Denis Jung / Unsplash

In October, several European countries – including Italy, France and the United Kingdom – reported a steep increase in COVID-19 infection.

Norway hasn’t noticed such a trend for the time being, but health authorities warn that colder weather could lead to more infection cases.

Espen Rostrup Nakstad, the assistant director of the Norwegian Directorate for Health and Social Affairs, says that situation in the country has been stable in the last 30 days.

“Most people believe we will get more infection cases when it gets colder. That happens with respiratory infections.

“However, at the moment, Italy is facing an increase in COVID-19 inpatients, with a 30% increase in one week. In the United Kingdom, the increase amounted to 45% compared to two weeks ago.

“We do not see that trend in Norway. In Norway, we see 10-20 new inpatients per day. And the number has been stable in the last month,” Nakstad told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) over the weekend.

Vaccination recommendations

Last week, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (Folkehelseinstituttet – FHI) stated that the elderly are still recommended to take a booster dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

However, young and healthy Norwegians will probably not be included in similar recommendations in the future, according to the FHI’s chief physician Preben Aavitsland.

“Old age is clearly the most important risk factor. We, therefore, recommend that everyone over 65 take a booster dose as soon as possible. We’re also assessing whether there is a need for healthy people in the 45-64 age group to do the same.

“For healthy people under the age of 45, there will hardly be a new recommendation for taking coronavirus doses,” Aavitsland told the newspaper ABC Nyheter.

While there is no sign of an Autumn wave of COVID infection in Norway yet, the country should prepare for the Winter.

“There is less immunity than normal against influenza, and we already have coronavirus in circulation,” Aavitsland added, noting that there could be a simultaneous wave of both coronavirus and flu infections later this autumn.

“Two epidemics at the same time would not be a good thing. They largely affect the same group and thus take over the same capacities in hospitals and nursing homes,” Aavitsland said.

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HEALTH

Covid-19 still causing 1,000 deaths a week in Europe, WHO warns

The World Health Organization's European office warned on Tuesday the risk of Covid-19 has not gone away, saying it was still responsible for nearly 1,000 deaths a week in the region. And the real figure may be much higher.

Published: 27 June 2023 13:27 CEST
Covid-19 still causing 1,000 deaths a week in Europe, WHO warns

The global health body on May 5 announced that the Covid-19 pandemic was no longer deemed a “global health emergency.”

“Whilst it may not be a global public health emergency, however, Covid-19 has not gone away,” WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge told reporters.

The WHO’s European region comprises 53 countries, including several in central Asia.

“Close to 1,000 new Covid-19 deaths continue to occur across the region every week, and this is an underestimate due to a drop in countries regularly reporting Covid-19 deaths to WHO,” Kluge added, and urged authorities to ensure vaccination coverage of at least 70 percent for vulnerable groups.

Kluge also said estimates showed that one in 30, or some 36 million people, in the region had experienced so called “long Covid” in the last three years, which “remains a complex condition we still know very little about.”

“Unless we develop comprehensive diagnostics and treatment for long Covid, we will never truly recover from the pandemic,” Kluge said, encouraging more research in the area which he called an under-recognised condition.

Most countries in Europe have dropped all Covid safety restrictions but some face mask rules remain in place in certain countries in places like hospitals.

Although Spain announced this week that face masks will no longer be required in certain healthcare settings, including hospitals and pharmacies, with a couple of exceptions.

Sweden will from July 1st remove some of its remaining Covid recommendations for the public, including advice to stay home and avoid close contact with others if you’re ill or have Covid symptoms.

The health body also urged vigilance in the face of a resurgence of mpox, having recorded 22 new cases across the region in May, and the health impact of heat waves.

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