Corona Virus, Europe | FHI: – The delta variant will be dominant in Norway in a few weeks

OSLO (Nettavisen): For nearly three months, infection rates have been falling in Europe. This is no longer the case. The more contagious delta variant contributes to development, but the WHO also notes increased mobility and more contact between people.

Read also: NIPH: One in three new cases of corona is due to a delta variant

FHI refers specifically to social gatherings and believes that it takes weeks before the delta variant becomes prevalent in Norway as well. Last week, it accounted for 31 percent of cases.

Cyprus, UK, Spain, Georgia, Andorra, Portugal, Netherlands, Kyrgyzstan, Luxembourg and Russia are the countries in WHO’s Europe region with the highest infection pressure now, Cyprus with 1,127 new cases per 100,000 population in the past 14 days, and the United Kingdom with 589 days.

You will dominate in a few weeks

The increase in infection in some countries in Europe, as well as outside Europe, is believed to be related to the more contagious type of delta, which is increasingly spreading. We assume it will also be dominant in Norway in a few weeks, says division director Laine Fuld at the National Institute of Public Health in Nettavisen on Wednesday.

She says that the increase in vaccination coverage in Europe contributes to the fact that most countries are not currently seeing any increase in hospital admissions.

We want to protect more people with vaccines before the delta variant becomes dominant in Norway, says Fuld, encouraging everyone to accept the vaccine and to find time to be vaccinated even if they are called upon during the holiday.

Read also: The medical union is raging against relief: – Caution is shelved

The virus will take advantage of this

The World Health Organization points to the delta variant, but also other factors as the cause of the increase in infection in several places:

– There are several reasons, but the introduction of the delta variable contributes to that, but also the fact that in the summer we see an increase in mobility and we see countries loosening restrictions and people gathering in small groups, even if they are not vaccinated. The virus will benefit from that, said Catherine Smallwood, head of emergency management at the World Health Organization’s Europe office. Sesame Channel 4 News earlier this week.

She cited social gatherings of all kinds as the main reason, such as meeting at home, going to a pub or going to a football match with thousands of others, such as during this summer’s European Football Championship.

NIPH about when the risks are greatest

Line Vold at the National Institute of Public Health states that everyone should still follow infection control advice, have a low threshold to be at home and test for symptoms themselves and accept the vaccination when the show comes.

– Can we join that party, that sporting event, that festival without worry?

There is the highest risk of contracting coronavirus when we meet closely over a long period of time, especially if social gatherings and parties take place indoors. Screaming and singing also contribute to an increased risk of infection. The outbreaks we see now in Norway are largely related to social gatherings, and this is also being reported from other countries. The increase in infection mainly occurs among young people where vaccine coverage remains low, many contact with others has increased and close contact is more now after measures have been relaxed in many countries. Travel activity can also contribute to increased infection, especially when traveling between countries with different infection stresses. Travel activity can help spread new strains of the virus. The risk of further infection after travel is reduced by various risk reduction measures, Fuld says in an email response to Nettavisen.

Read also: More than 1,000 new infections in Los Angeles for the fifth consecutive day

Also dangerous for vaccinators

Coronary vaccines give us better protection, but experts point out that the virus has not gone away and infections are increasing sharply in other parts of the world.

David Nabarro, the WHO’s special envoy for coronavirus cases, told the BBC today that new viral variants also represent a threat to those who have been vaccinated. “We have to take it seriously,” he said. Sky News.

Read also: Denmark: Infection and hospitalization rates on the rise

warns the British

The World Health Organization has pointed an accusing finger at plans for the rapid reopening of British society.

David Naborro says the pandemic is still spreading very quickly around the world, and we think we’ve been through almost the worst, NTB reports.

“I accept that vaccination has changed the overall picture in the UK, but it is too early to talk about widespread relief or freedom when the curve of the outbreak is so steep,” Nabarro told UK Radio 4 on Tuesday.

London does not give up the bandages

London Mayor Sadiq Khan told the BBC he would not put passengers on the Tube, buses and other public transport at risk of removing the bandage as relief arrives on July 19. The bandage arrangement has been in effect in England for the past year. Now, according to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, it will be replaced by a recommendation.

“We know from government advisors and from the World Health Organization that dressings inside reduce transmissibility,” Khan said. BBC. He says Transport for London (TfL) staff if necessary will deny passengers access if they do not wear face masks.

Norway: Delta is one of three cases

In Denmark, where the delta variant now predominates, there are reports of an increasing trend of infections and more hospital admissions. The number of newly confirmed cases has shown a clear upward trend since the end of June.

– The newspaper reported that we are now more than 1,000 infected again Berlingske Tidende Tuesday.

On July 7, the National Institute of Public Health (NIPH) estimated that the delta variant represented a 13 percent stake in Norway. On July 14, they estimated 31 percent, roughly one in three cases.

The number of confirmed cases of this type of virus increased from a total of 50 cases until week 21, to a total of 792 cases until week 27.

Most of the cases are associated with large outbreaks arising from various import incidents, as reported in the weekly report by the National Institute of Public Health (NIPH).

Deltavarianten

The delta variant (B.1.617.2) of the coronavirus was first detected in India and has since spread to the rest of the world.

According to the Statens Serum Institute in Denmark, the delta variant is almost as infectious as the alpha variant. Their Norwegian colleagues have been more cautious about putting numbers on this, but they say there are indications of an increase in infections in the Delta, but the numbers are unconfirmed.

The European Infection Control Agency (ECDC) believes that infections will increase during the summer and will particularly affect non-vaccinated people, such as children and young adults, when the summer holidays are over.

The European Center for Disease Control and Prevention believes that we will see an increase in hospital admissions, also among those who have been fully vaccinated, but we will not see the same development with cycles of more severe diseases as last time, due to the ever-increasing vaccination rate and that the risk groups now They were largely vaccinated.

(Source: Statens Serum Institut and Folkehelseinstituttet)