– We may now be on our way out of the fourth wave of infections that have infected many patients, not least school children and young adults, but the municipal health service and hospitals have handled it well, says Espen Rostrup Nakstad, associate health director.
At a news conference Friday afternoon, Nakstad said the number of hospitalizations is about a fifth of what was recorded last year.
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– A little worried
It is clear that we have had an impact of vaccines on this development. It’s still the case that the majority of newly admitted patients are not immunized, and we’re a little concerned that it still is, he says.
If the drop in infections continues as it seems, he says, the number of admissions will drop as well.
Health and Welfare Services Minister Bint Hui is also optimistic about the future.
– Høie says at the press conference that infection numbers are increasing, and vaccine numbers are going up. He adds that we are approaching the time for a normal daily life with increased alertness.
Waiting for the tough flu season
The health minister says there will still be infection, disease, hospitalization and death in the community – as there was before the pandemic.
-Professionals believe this year’s flu season will be tougher than usual, he says, and asks for a flu shot.
A big reminder that the flu also means so many of them get so sick that they have to be hospitalized. In the regular season about 900 people die. He therefore urges municipalities to complete the corona vaccination by week 40, so that they are on target before the flu season begins.
We recommend that everyone in high-risk groups and children take the flu shot, he says.
Keep alert
State and municipal authorities should continue to monitor the burden of disease in society, and to monitor infections, diseases and hospitalizations as a result of corona, influenza and other respiratory infections.
– As we move into normal everyday life, state and municipal authorities must maintain the current level of preparedness in the first place throughout the year. They should be prepared to extend that level through the winter of 2022, he says.
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TISK rate
A reduced test regimen will be introduced on September 27.
More and more people are being fully vaccinated and the infection appears to be fading away. Some testing, isolation, infection tracing and quarantine will still be needed for a longer time, Høie says.
The minimally corrected TISK means that fewer people should be placed in quarantine and that municipalities have to deal with infection detection to a lesser degree. The government proposes that the downgrade of TISK be continued for a transitional period of approximately four weeks when it becomes relevant gradually to the transition to normal daily life with increased preparedness.
Municipalities are expected to be able to distribute rapid tests to 10 per cent of the population, and to conduct the 1 per cent tests themselves. If infections increase, municipalities should be able to increase testing capacity by 5 percent per week within five days.
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