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Norway's Covid-19 infection rate starts to slow

Frazer Norwell
Frazer Norwell - [email protected]
Norway's Covid-19 infection rate starts to slow
(Photo by Ina FASSBENDER / AFP)

The reproduction rate or R-number for Covid-19 in Norway is currently 1.0, according to the Norwegian Institute of Public Health’s weekly report. The previous report, for the period between February 8th and March 9th, placed the figure at 1.4.

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An R-number above 1.0 means the virus is growing and a number below 1.0 means the epidemic is receding. For for an R-number of 1.0 every 10 people with Covid-19 will on average infect another ten people with the virus, meaning the epidemic stays at a steady level. 

The NIPH report states that the margin of error for the latest period, beginning March 9th, is between 0.9 and 1.1.

The R-number is also falling in some of the worst affected areas in the country, according to the report. In Oslo, the measure has dropped from 1.3 to 0.7.

In other areas, however, infection is increasing.

“We find that the infection trend is increasing in Viken and Vestfold (counties) and probably increasing in Rogaland,” the report states.

Meanwhile, there was a decrease in numbers of new cases of around eleven percent compared to the previous week, following five weeks of increasing numbers of reported cases.

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Last week, the number of reported cases fell in all counties apart from Trøndelag and Møre og Romsdal.

READ ALSO: Has Norway passed the current peak of Coronavirus wave?

The number of people admitted to hospital with Covid-19 also fell nationally, from 224 to 194. However, the age group 30-49 has seen the highest number of admissions since the pandemic began. Intensive care admissions remain at the same level as last week with 46. 

Virus variant B117, which originated in the United Kingdom, remains the dominant form of the virus in Norway. Approximately 82 percent of new cases in Norway are with the more infectious B117 variant. This number is even higher in Oslo, where the proportion is 93 percent.

Despite the fall in R-number, the report notes that the situation in Norway remains unstable and that the public should still follow general guidelines to prevent infections.

“The situation is unstable and with increased mobility at Easter, it is important that everyone complies with the general infection control advice throughout the Easter holidays,” it states.

READ ALSO: Norway announces tightening of national Covid-19 restrictions for Easter

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