Infection is increasing in Norway after the omicron variant BA5 began to spread, both in this country and elsewhere in Europe.

The variant appears to be more contagious than the earlier Omicron variants, but the variant does not appear to confer a more severe course of the disease. This is what Assistant Director of Health Espen Nakstad told Dagbladet.

He explains that there are different reasons for the spread of infection in the country now.

It has been a long time since people were last infected with corona, and even more so since they received the third dose of the vaccine. Therefore, your antibody level decreases over time, making it easier to become infected with the new variant. Another reason is that we are living as usual, Nakstad tells Dagbladet.

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Increase in hospital admissions

It’s hard to get an overview of how many are infected, he adds, because you’re not testing the same way you did before. However, Nakstad notes that one can see an increase in hospitalizations.

— We went from a few dozen admissions a week in early June, to now there were 170 admissions last week, he says.

Nakstad stresses that while there has been a marked increase in admissions, that does not mean it will rise to the same levels we have been this winter.

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Corona on vacation

He states that perhaps there is no infection or more in Europe than there is in Norway. Nakstad still recommends checking the rules that apply in the country you are traveling to.

– Some countries still use Corona permits. This can be checked on a website called www.reopen.europa.eu.

Mouth horns are also something Nakstad recommends everyone take on the trip this summer.

You can quickly end up in an airport where there is a demand for a bandage if you are taking a bus or train from the airport.