Corona pandemic in Norway.

[Captain Maltese]

Twentysix more days have passed.

I'm not doing the numbers this time. All the bad number updates (deaths, infections, hospital cases) are so low they have hardly changed since the last time and the vaccination programs continue mostly on schedule.

It's mid summer but most municipalities and cities keep calling people in for their shots; somewhat more people ask for a postponing than previously but as far as I can see there's no vaccines having to be thrown away. Some places have however given some vaccines to neighboring municipalities to make sure nothing is wasted. I don't think we'll see a lot of waste for the reminder of the epidemic either; the authorities has this program going on rails now. The discussion now is whether those under 18 should get shots as well. The argument against is mostly that so much of the world population is still yet unvaccinated that it makes a bit of an egoistic example. I don't buy that one though. I would say the public support for getting vaccinated is massive now, especially since we dropped the AstraZenica antivirus which got bad press back then, and we'll probably see 85-90% of the adult population get two shots eventually.

The predominant virus is now the delta one; the virus previously known as the Indian strain. Most of the fresh outbreaks are of this type. Most of the infections are with young adults in the 18-24 range, the last group on the priority list because they rarely get ill enough from the infection to warrant hospital care. They are also the hardest to keep from socializing and make respecting quarantines. Media is however getting very careful about describing exactly which groups and places are the biggest spreaders, which I suspect is due to politically correctness - a permanent ailment of Norwegian media. Maybe we'll get the story many years from now or at least after the next election. Maybe we won't. Facts can be so inconvenient.

There has been no changes in the authorities' anti-covid measures since the previous post that I can remember. The biggie isn't up to us; some European countries go on and off alert so some Norwegian tourists go to a 'green' country and then it becomes 'red', so when they return home they have to enter quarantines they didn't expect or plan for. It makes a lot of people pretty exasperated but the risk was known when they left on holiday.

All my local relatives have gotten two or at least one shot now, including myself.

[Norwegian One]

Again, a very good summary, Maltese :)

My fiancee, being a health care worker, has gotten both her shots (Pfizer) and I have gotten my first shot of Moderna. Will get my second in October.

[Captain Maltese]

It's been exactly three months since the last time I did the numbers so here we go again. 90 days is a long time in a pandemic already over a year and a half long so some of the totals are getting pretty big.

189 142 (up another 58k) infected total, of which 93 are in hospital - 22 with respirator. 861 are dead in total; 67 up, compared to the 60 that died in the two previous months before that. We are a 5 million population. Almost 8 million tests have been done. About 8 million vaccines have been administered.

Vaccination numbers now describe the entire population rather than everyone above 18 so don't compare well to the previous posts. Vaccination is now given to the 12-17 age segment as well and I suspect the below 12 segment will get vaccinated as well once Big Pharma is done with the testing. Under the new numbers, 77% of the population above 12 have now had their first shot and 67% have had their second.

As the numbers indicate the vaccination program is a great success. The point where most people questioned the wisdom of it is long passed, except in one narrow category: immigrants from a couple of countries where trust in government is quite low. These don't show up to their vaccination appointments in as much as 50% of their group. As a result they show up in much larger numbers in hospitals with Covid infection than their population numbers would indicate.

Last weekend was a watershed officially as the government declared the end of almost all the Covid special laws and recommendations. Masks, the hand cleaning, the three feet distance, public transportation measures, quarantines, public venues like bars and clubs and concerts, it's all back to where we were before. Last weekend saw a lot of hard partying and people went to town in record numbers. The sole remaining rule is that people who get infected should self quarantine, but without anyone policing this it's more like wishful government thinking.

The pandemic isn't over and we still get outbreaks. Mainly in the 18-29 segment with all the social people, school people and partygoers. But most people don't get ill enough to go to a doctor and those who do don't die - excepting those who are already so ill and/or so old that their remaining days are already few indeed. Most of the people who did die with covid, didn't die from it by itself. Everyone who are in a risk group now are already fully vaccinated. The common cold will likely kill more people this winter even if the last remains of the pandemic will stay with us for another year.

I'm not sure what else to add at this point. The entire covid thing is leaving the front pages of the news outlets and numbers are no longer update by the hour or day. Soon I might only find weekly numbers. Unless something spectacular happen we have more or less beaten it. Which is a dangerous thought, but even if new variants of covid show up it will have a very small and spread population segment to move through. To my fellow Norwegians I suggest you don't throw away the spare hand desinfections and face masks. Keep them in storage for the next pandemic. It will most likely have nothing to do with covid at all and the only thing stopping the entire crapshow from going back to the start block is the experience we have all gained through this one.

[Captain Maltese]

It's been six weeks without any restrictions and things are not all well in the state of Norway. Also we have had an election and a new government is in place, and they have not been keen to start their new period with the persistent anti-viral message that likely brought the end to the previous government. Ideal environment for a new covid wave. Now they have no choice and the first new measures were announced today.

224 302 (up another 35k including 2k yesterday along) infected total, of which 184 are in hospital - 28 with respirator. 861 are dead in total; 87 up. These are the changes over 45 days. We are a 5 million population. About 8.1 million tests have been done. About 8 million vaccines have been administered. The last two numbers have hardly moved in these six weeks; generally everyone who have been willing to take their dosages have received them and when the restrictions ended there wasn't much incentive for pressuring the remaining group to take theirs.

The new wave started in a couple of towns with a vibrant social life, the same pattern as before. Young people got it, then the students, then school kids. About half the infected had already gotten their vaccinations. With the restrictions gone the pressure to go to school or work even if you are 'a little sick' is as strong as before the epidemic. Now the big cities are getting it. Fortunately the numbers show the good part; most people still don't get sick enough to fill up the hospitals. Considering how small our intensive care resources are, we are a small country after all, we won't need a lot of new severe cases to get us into trouble again.

And that is why our new government, with teeth gritting, today brings on the unhappiness again.
- everyone over the age of 65 gets offered a third dosage. Unfortunately the guys who refused the first two will probably not take this offer either.
- plans will be made to offer everyone over 18 a third dosage. From next year. Could happen? Could not.
- municipalities, meaning the big cities, will be allowed to introduce a covid passport. This will probably not happen anywhere as it will kill shopping and partying. Again.
- some more people will have to test themselves than before.
- new rules for unvaccinated health personnel.
I'm kinda underwhelmed, to be honest. There's nothing in this that will stop the entire covid thing to grow back to full force.

On the local level I am using a face mask again when I go into crowded stores. I'm definitely not in the majority but I am not alone. And all plans to go to the nearest big city are shelved for the time being.

I don't know what else to add. We are about to enter the greatest shopping and social season of the year. I predict exponential infection rates into January. But I am more worried now, because I am seeing a new government leadership with less will to fight than the predecessors.

[Captain Maltese]

The news are all bad. It's almost exactly one month since the previous post. A couple of days ago new strict measures came into place but it gave the new omikron version of the covid virus an entire month to roll in unchecked. All numbers are up and still climbing.

330 856 (up another 106k, meaning the total climbed with about 50% over FOUR WEEKS) infected total, of which 375  are in hospital - 122 in intensive care, of which an unknown number with respirator. 1202 are dead in total; 341 up - almost a 50% increase in just four weeks! 79% of the population above the age of 12 have had at least one shot, and 72% have had two or more.

From what I've heard the hospitals report the new infections are evenly spread between vaccinated and unvaccinated, but almost all the severe cases are people who have chosen not to get their vaccinations. There is not one legal adult citizen in this country that hasn't been offered vaccinations, and those who haven't said yes have been offered them multiple times.

The newest govt measurements are as follow, for the next four weeks:
- from today, serving of alcohol in public is not legal. As a result, every bar and pub and party place in the country has closed their doors for the time being. This is certain death for many places whose profits during this season was carrying them through for much of the rest of the year. The govt will help some, but some are likely to give up now. They have had a hard time for a long time already. Cafes and restaurants are also limited in how many guests they can have. Oh, and all dancing is out of the question - not that there'd be much of that without alcohol.
- various maximum attendant limitations for all and any kind of indoor and outdoor public events, and face masks are now obligatory also indoors.
- schools, university and daycares are to up their safety procedures, and switch to digital teaching where possible. All youth activities connected with the schools are to be curtailed or reduced.
- stricter quarantine rules.
- also a numbers of suggestion for what we should do, which means the most likely carriers won't abide with them anyway.

I now have and have had several relatives infected or still in quarantine. My little municipality is now one of ones with the fastest rising infection percentages. I think I have a cold but I am no longer certain it isn't the virus. Hopefully I'll have shaken it off by tomorrow or it could be my turn to take a test.

[Captain Maltese]

I give up on most of the totals numbers. About 300 are now in hospital for covid, about 30 in intensive care in respirator. The overwhelming majority of infections are related to the relatively weaker omicron variety.

It is almost exactly two months since the last post. However today is a special one. Today the Norwegian government announced, with effect immediately, that almost all covid measures are ended. No more social distancing, no further requests for wearing masks, no more bans on public alcohol sale, no more bans on public dancing. As I write this the partying and clubbing in the cities tonight are probably about to become an epic night; I live too far away from the city to be part of it. About the only remaining measure is that adults who get infected are supposed to stay home for four days. There will however be no enforcement of this.

The government expect that as much as 80% of the population will get infected during what remains of the winter, but with such a tiny percentage getting actually seriously sick from it, the nationwide antiviral measures no longer make any sense.

I got my third shot just a couple of weeks ago. On Monday for the first time in something like two years, I will go my shopping round without a mask. It will be weird.

[Captain Maltese]

Another month gone by. This time however with the war dominating all news outlets I had to dig just to find the basic numbers. But covid might not have been a main news subject either way. 5000+ still get infected every day but most people don't bother with testing any more unless they feel really crap. About 500 in hospital have the infection, 47 are in intensive car with or without breathing help, but how many of these are actually in hospital because of covid and not other illnesses is not reported.

A month ago I, and most of the rest of the Norwegian population, pocketed our masks on the same day and now I rarely see one when I go shopping. The hand washing machines and bottles are still everywhere though and it looks to me like most still use them. Considering how helpful and hygienic it makes the stores look, I suspect they could become a permanent fixture. I would like that. Especially in the stores selling fresh food like vegs and bread, because there's always people sneezing and coughing their ways through the stores and none of them ever wore a mask for anyone elses protection before. Imagine how clean their hands are.

[Captain Maltese]

The new socialist government certainly laid the covid epidemic to rest. Or rather, they laid any attempt of treatment and information flow to rest. The fourth shot never materialized, there are new and still worse variants spreading now, and still... nothing. Granted they have other things to deal with as well, but the difference between the socialist government and the old non-socialist one is staggering. It's as if they just decided to look another way. Oh well, according to the poll numbers they will reap the rewards of apathy soon enough. It's not as if they have any efficient tool to use at this point, but it would have be nice to see that they actually cared.

My mom was the first to get it, on Friday nine days ago. She is 75. This was about three days after my brother and his family had visited my parents for a week. On Monday, my brother also got it. Poor guy, this has to be the fourth time for him. Treating patients have become a risk sport. Late that day my dad who is 80 went to the cabin to do some work; when I showed up there next morning he was completely shot. I had to drive him home in my own car. Friday, three days later, it was my turn - the test I took Saturday morning confirmed it, and the three family members visiting me had to be emergency moved to another family member's apartment nearby. We can only hope it was in time. I guess by Tuesday we'll know if the big event trip next weekend we were planning to go to will have to be canceled on account of them getting sick too.

My symptoms have been annoying but not dramatic. At first I thought it might be the flu or a heavy cold; feeling woozy, some fever, tiredness, coughing, lack of taste, sense of temperature swinging like a pendulum, and the worst of it being a constantly runny nose - I'm building a haystack of used tissue paper.

It is lucky that we, and in particular my aging parents, don't have any respiratory illnesses. We seem to get better within a relatively short number of days.

Now that I think of the shots we were given, the masks we used, the hands we have washed in shops a thousand times, the social distances we have kept... it does seem a little pointless. The way it is spreading now, the entire population will have had it several times over before christmas.

[Captain Maltese]

I posted positive yesterday and negative today. Still a little bit coughing and temp's still going up and down a bit, but who cares? This makes for the following cycle:
Day 0:    have to share car for one hour with covid-sick family member who is in full outbreak
Day 1-2: feel fine
Day 3:    wake up with all of the symptoms
Day 4:    all of the symptoms, but less strong. Take test which is positive
Day 5:    primary remaining symptom, very runny nose
Day 6:    few symptoms. Take test which is positive
Day 7:    take test which is negative