It’s time to open up society completely
DEBATE: Let’s follow Denmark. Corona should be reached like other respiratory viruses.
Debate post
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Stian Ellingsen Lobben
GP and MDG
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Erlend Kristensen
MDG Sandnes
The time to restrict the individual’s freedom to protect us from a dangerous virus is over. Contact reduction measures, testing, quarantine and isolation are no longer necessary to save lives. Norwegians have been good through the pandemic. And that has been important. But have we become too good? Now we must dare to let go!
The silent pandemic
Doctors and psychologists report that the measures are the truer public health. Loneliness, lack of meaning, social contact and good experiences make people sick. They call it the silent pandemic. Football, friends, bingo, sewing meetings, choir rehearsals, concerts, theater, beer tasting and cinema are not unnecessary luxuries. It is life itself. Infection control authorities and politicians no longer have a basis for restricting our freedom. Omicron in a vaccinated population is not a generally contagious infectious disease. It is a relatively harmless virus that does not require its own handling.
Isolating healthy people with a positive test for a completely harmless virus can be impossible.
The National Institute of Public Health (NIPH) itself writes in its report from 26 January that the measures will only help to prolong the pandemic. We do not expect an overload of the intensive care capacity at the hospitals. There is concern about the burden on GPs, home nursing, nursing homes, hospitals and society in general. But that it is not certain that it will be a big problem. They further say that for the fully vaccinated, it is better to become infected even later due to declining immunity after the last vaccine.
On Wednesday 26 January, 24,429 corona cases were registered in Norway. That is about 9000 more than last week. At the same time, it is for fewer inmates. The trend has been clearly declining in recent months despite still new records for those infected. There are also fewer inpatients who need a respirator and intensive care. It is the same pattern we see in other countries, which lies ahead of us on the trail. Denmark, Great Britain and South Africa. FHI says, however, that we must not remove all measures and restrictions. It is nice.
The danger is over
FHI also recommends continued testing and isolation of positive. Isolating healthy people with a positive test for a completely harmless virus can be impossible. It is especially bad when it hits a child. And to what use? When we also know that the home tests are so bad that it is almost bingo whether you get a result or not, this just becomes meaningless.
In sum, we, like FHI, believe that it is time to normalize our relationship with the corona. But we believe it must happen reach. The danger is over!
On March 12, 2020, we closed society to save the elderly and others in the risk groups. This has been great support and agreement to be right. Well, we have a completely different situation.
All measures must be eliminated
When Espen Nakstad “admits” that problems in the future will not be serious illness and death or pressure on the health care system, but problems with too many patients and people in quarantine. Then the corona enters a whole new phase. It becomes almost comical that we have to close society so that society does not have to be “closed” because too many people get sick at the same time. Especially when much of the sick leave is due to the measures and not illness. That many get sick at the same time is nothing new. The flu reminds us of the annual. Critical societal functions we have managed to keep going before in flu seasons. We must be able to do that with omikron as well. If we do not manage it, the problem is not the corona, but the emergency preparedness.
Real preparedness is not to close society, but to keep society open! That is the job we must do now. Closing society is no longer proportionate. All corona measures must be aroused. Also in Norway!