Almost one in two Norwegians over the age of 65 have received the third vaccine dose

Corona vaccinePhoto: AP Photo / Eraldo Peres

To date, less than half of those aged 65 and over in Norway have received a third dose of the corona vaccine. More than half a million people have now been vaccinated with three doses.

The health authorities have asked the municipalities to pick up the pace when it comes to administering the third dose. If they don’t, they will not be able to vaccinate anyone over 65 with a booster dose before Christmas.

But so far, less than half, 47.6%, have received the third dose, according to recent figures from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI), NTB reports.

“The municipalities are aware that the third dose for the elderly and the first dose for unvaccinated adults have the highest priority now. Both the National Institute of Public Health and the Minister of Health have given clear notice of this,” FHI’s Preben Aavitsland told NTB.

One out of three

The third dose is considered important for slowing down a possible outbreak of the new omicron variant.

In the age group 65-74, less than one in three, 30.7%, has received a booster dose of the vaccine.

In the age groups 75–84 years and 85+, the proportions of those who have received the third dose are 69.7% and 67.3%, respectively.

“Hesitant”

Despite the fact that there is no shortage of vaccines, support for the third dose has been a little more uneven, according to Aavitsland.

“But we expect that it will work out eventually. The municipalities have a fairly good capacity to vaccinate, but it varies slightly between municipalities, and it is demanding to get the personnel in place,” he said.

“We must also remember that the municipalities spent a lot of resources on flu vaccination in October, with about 1.5 million doses,” he added.

Shorter interval

The FHI has shortened the recommended interval between the second and third dose from six to five months.

“Thus, the vast majority of those over the age of 65 should be ready for the third dose,” Aavitsland said.

According to the FHI’s figures, a total of 541,222 people have been registered as vaccinated with the third dose.

Of these, 459,767 people are 65 years or older. According to Statistics Norway’s (SSB) statistics for 2021, these age groups totaled 965,742 people.

Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews

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