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211 people are infected in Hammerfest and 22 percent of the municipality's inhabitants are in quarantine - Norway

On Wednesday, Hammerfest municipality reports that a total of 211 people have been diagnosed with corona virus in the municipality. 2,500 out of 11,000 inhabitants are in quarantine.On Wednesday, Hammerfest municipality reports that a total of 211 people have been diagnosed with corona virus in the municipality. 2,500 out of 11,000 inhabitants are in quarantine.

Hammerfest municipality is currently in the middle of the largest corona virus outbreak in Finnmark since the pandemic came to Norway last year.

211 people in Hammerfest are infected and 2,500 of 11,000 inhabitants are in quarantine.

Since Tuesday, there have been 42 new cases of infection in the municipality.

- 500 children in the municipality are affected by this corona virus outbreak, says mayor Marianne Sivertsen Næss.

A lot of people in their 20s and 30s have been infected in Hammerfest. Now figures show that more and more elderly people are being diagnosed this virus.

- We see that the age of infected people is going up. There are several inhabitants between 40 and 60 years old who are infected and we see that there is a lot of family infection. Many of them are unvaccinated.

On Tuesday, 600 people were tested for corona virus.

PHOTO: EIRIK SØRENMO PÅSCHE / NRK

 

– We can trace the infection of all 211 infected people. 

Hammerfest municipality has managed to carry out infection tracking on everyone who has now been confirmed infected.

– From all infected inhabitants, four children are under 10 years old, the mayor stated.

Finnmark Hospital stated on Wednesday that they have four employees in quarantine and one patient admitted to the hospital with corona virus, according to Sivertsen Næss.

600 people were tested in the municipality on Tuesday.

- It is 5 percent of the inhabitants of Hammerfest who were tested in one day, says Sivertsen Næss and adds that in the big cities you can only test one percent per day.

- We can not do this better than we do today. We are at our maximum, she says.

It is a demanding situation and the municipality is concerned that the age of the infections is increasing.

Mayor Marianne Sivertsen Næss.

PHOTO: EIRIK SØRENMO PÅSCHE

Get praise

Chief physician at the National Institute of Public Health, Preben Aavitsland writes in an e-mail to NRK that he is impressed with how the municipality has handled the outbreak.

- They do everything right. Strongly increased testing, intensive infection detection and quarantine, good communication with the population, clear leadership and presence in the media by the mayor as well as extensive contact-reducing measures, he writes.

Chief physician at the National Institute of Public Health, Preben Aavitsland.

PHOTO: TOR ERIK SCHRØDER

- We are convinced that the municipality will turn this around in a few days. Towards the end of the week, the situation will be brighter.

 

Published by NRK, May 26, 2021

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