Corona pandemic | Christmas week in Tromsø: Here people have become infected

30.12.21 16:18
30.12.21 16:48

231 people were infected with Corona virus in Tromsø during the Christmas week, which ran from Monday 20 December to Sunday 26 December.

The sources of infection were distributed as follows, according to the municipality’s weekly report after Christmas:

14 of 231 were injured at work.
Two were injured in the kindergarten.
Sixteen students or school staff were infected before the Christmas holiday began.
14 people were injured while traveling.
And 15 were injured at the so-called social gatherings last week.
Up to 61 people have an unknown source of infection. This means that they may have been hit anywhere in the public space, such as a mall, shop, café, fitness center, and the like.
By far the biggest source of infection is the same as it has been in recent months: the private family. As many as 108 people, about half of them, were infected indoors over Christmas.

Here’s the same overview from week 46-51:

Delayed stimulant doses

In the weekly report signed by infection control chief Trond Bratland, testing activity among Tromsø residents appears to have decreased over Christmas.

There could be various reasons for this, such as that people were out of the house or in the cabin or that there was a focus on celebrating Christmas.

In the Weekly Report, Infection Control Doctor Bratland also addresses another Christmas phenomenon:

“We had some spare energy at vaccination stations in the days leading up to Christmas, even after we opened up to new groups for offerings,” Bratland notes.

When asked by Nordlies about the possible reason for this, he replied:

We don’t know why people choose to wait for the third vaccine dose when they reach the 20-week period. Then we can speculate on the causes, and I think it’s reasonable to think that the fear of side effects at Christmas time might have turned someone off.

– What do you think that?

Anyone who wants the vaccine and qualifies for it is welcome with us. The first doses, the second doses, and the third doses. We make the offer and it is up to the individual to decide when to receive it, Bratland answers.

Exams for all school students

During the fall, many of the coronavirus infections in Tromsø were among school students who were too young to receive the coronavirus vaccine.

As Nordlis wrote on Wednesday, Tromsø municipality will not test students and staff before school starts for practical reasons. On the other hand, students bring home a set of quick tests on the first day of school. These medications should be taken for two and a half weeks.

Rapid test manufacturers strongly caution against exposing the tests to cold until they freeze, as this will destroy them.

Bratland says they are aware of the problem.

– We’ve been working with information for schools in recent days, and that’s also been a topic. Now the worst of the cold seems to have subsided, but there will likely be some focus on this in terms of distribution, says Bratland.