Nakstad: Mass testing is not necessary

“Many municipalities are ordering large amounts of rapid tests, but that is unnecessary,” assistant health director Espen Rostrup Nakstad noted. 

“Some municipalities may have gone somewhat bananas this week by ordering far more tests than they need. There may be some misunderstandings out there that mass testing is necessary at all schools, but it is not,” Nakstad told the newspaper VG.

Since August, the Norwegian Directorate of Health has sent out five million rapid tests to the country’s municipalities. Nakstad says that testing all students is recommended only at schools with so much infection that checking all close contacts is impossible. 

However, many tests are now being ordered regardless of whether the infection pressure is high.

“If all students in Norway are to be tested twice a week, we would use two million rapid tests per week,” Nakstad said.

He said he understood that the municipalities want to be on the safe side, but at the same time, he reminded people that rapid tests also cost money and should be used when needed.

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

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