Norway health minister expects 'more normal everyday life' by summer 2021
Authorities in Norway expect to begin vaccinating against Covid-19 at the beginning of next year. The vaccine will be offered for free and will be voluntary.
Senior citizens and people in risk groups will be given first priority for vaccines, followed by health sector staff.
Health minister Bent Høie presented the country’s vaccination plan at a press briefing on Friday.
Further prioritisation will be applied within the lead groups due to limited vaccine availability, Høie confirmed.
Care home residents, people over the age of 65 and people with multiple illnesses will be given further priority.
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A total of 2.5 million doses of the vaccine are expected to be received in the first three months of 2021 from three different companies – Pfizer, Moderna and Astrazenica.
That will enable 1.25 million people to be vaccination, given that two doses are required per person for vaccination.
“1.2 million Norwegians can get the vaccine initially. That is 70 percent of everyone in risk groups plus workers who work with risk groups,” Høie said according to news wire NTB.
“So by Easter, we will already be in a very different situation to today,” he added.
The rest of the population is expected to be able to get a vaccine at some point during the first half of 2021.
“By next summer we can thereby have a more normal everyday life,” Høie said.
This depends on which vaccines are approved and when, he stressed.
Norway will receive the same proportion of doses of vaccines as EU countries, measured in relation to its population size.
In the last 14 days, the Nordic country has registered a coronavirus infection rate of 121 cases per 100,000 residents, according to ECDC data.
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Senior citizens and people in risk groups will be given first priority for vaccines, followed by health sector staff.
Health minister Bent Høie presented the country’s vaccination plan at a press briefing on Friday.
Further prioritisation will be applied within the lead groups due to limited vaccine availability, Høie confirmed.
Care home residents, people over the age of 65 and people with multiple illnesses will be given further priority.
READ ALSO:
- Up to 40 percent of Norwegians undecided over Covid-19 vaccine
- Why Norway will not vaccinate against Covid-19 by force
A total of 2.5 million doses of the vaccine are expected to be received in the first three months of 2021 from three different companies – Pfizer, Moderna and Astrazenica.
That will enable 1.25 million people to be vaccination, given that two doses are required per person for vaccination.
“1.2 million Norwegians can get the vaccine initially. That is 70 percent of everyone in risk groups plus workers who work with risk groups,” Høie said according to news wire NTB.
“So by Easter, we will already be in a very different situation to today,” he added.
The rest of the population is expected to be able to get a vaccine at some point during the first half of 2021.
“By next summer we can thereby have a more normal everyday life,” Høie said.
This depends on which vaccines are approved and when, he stressed.
Norway will receive the same proportion of doses of vaccines as EU countries, measured in relation to its population size.
In the last 14 days, the Nordic country has registered a coronavirus infection rate of 121 cases per 100,000 residents, according to ECDC data.
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