67-year-old Svein Andersen was the first person to receive the coronavirus vaccine in Norway. He compared the historical moment to the lunar landing.
“It feels a little strange. I’m almost like a historical person. It’s a good feeling, really. Almost like when the first man, Armstrong, went to the moon,” Andersen said after receiving the vaccine shot.
Svein is a resident of Ellingsrudhjemmet in Oslo. He was vaccinated by specialist nurse Maria Golding.
Both Prime Minister Erna Solberg and Minister of Health Bent Høie followed the vaccination via video.
“It went just fine,” Andersen said just after he received the vaccine.
“There was no pain at all, nothing more than any other vaccine,” Andersen told the Prime Minister.
Solberg: A day of liberation
Prime Minister Erna Solberg (H) says that the vaccine is hopefully the first out of 10 million vaccine doses that will be administered in Norway in the coming months.
The vaccine consists of two doses, which are given at three-week intervals.
“This is a day of liberation, to free us from this virus. When we have a vaccine, we can take everyday life back,” Solberg said.
The first 10,000 vaccine doses arrived in Norway on December 26.
“This is a day we have been waiting for in 291 days, namely since March 12 when we had to initiate strict measures to combat COVID-19 in Norway,” Solberg noted.
Not afraid of side effects
The Prime Minister called Andersen a symbol of the vaccination. He hopes that the shot means that it will soon be easier for people to visit Ellingsrudhjemmet.
“It would be nice if visitors didn’t have to plan many days in advance and book visiting hours,” he said.
Andersen recommended the vaccination to everyone else, adding that he isn’t afraid of side effects.
“I’m basically not (afraid). I have been following the news. After all, many people have received the vaccine over time.
“There do not appear to be any particular side effects, not serious, at least.
“You can get a little tired or get a headache, but you can manage to live with that,” Andersen told news bureau NTB.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
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