FHI: Flu wave in Norway continues to grow
Flu infection continued to increase in Norway last week. It is uncertain when the peak will be reached, the National Institute of Public Health (FHI) noted in a new weekly report on the season's flu outbreak.
In all, 1,967 cases of influenza were detected in week 14.
“It is very unusual that we have a flu epidemic so late in the spring. This is because the flu has been kept down by the corona measures since March 2020. Thus, there is much less immunity in the population than normal, and the virus spreads more easily,” chief physician Preben Aavitsland at the FHI wrote in an email to NTB.
He points out that there were more admissions for flu in Norway last week than for COVID-19 – about 320 for the flu against about 200 for COVID-19.
“Fortunately, few flu patients end up in the intensive care unit.”
The flu vaccine that people received this autumn does not have much effect against infection but probably protects some people against serious illness, according to Aavitsland.
Flu infection is still increasing, and according to the FHI, it is uncertain when the peak of the outbreak will be reached.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
