Infection control expert on the coronavirus: – – We must be tested forever

– We have to test people with signs of covid-19 disease forever, says Osterholm in a question about the corona situation at the website Axios, writes CNN.

– The virus does not disappear around the world. Remember that there are billions of people in low-income countries, some in middle-income countries, who will never have access to a corona vaccine. In these countries, we will also see virus variants spread, he says.

Osterholm adds that testing will also be useful for mapping the effectiveness of vaccines and seeing where there is a need for so-called “booster doses” – the same as refill vaccines.

It may be that those who have already been vaccinated after a while will need such a dose.

Effective infection detection

Norway has long used the TISK strategy (testing, isolation, tracking and quarantine) as an important weapon in the fight against the coronavirus. The strategy is considered very important for conducting effective infection detection in society.

«In addition to all current advice, a more intensive TISK strategy should be considered when following up close contacts in outbreaks, regardless of the virus variant.», Writes the National Institute of Public Health (NIPH) on their websites.

Reinforced TISK means more extensive testing and quarantine, and more emphasis on good implementation of quarantine and isolation.

But for the strategy to succeed, capacity is needed in the analysis laboratories – a capacity that is now beginning to be blown up in Norway, said assistant health director Espen Nakstad in a Dagbladet TV broadcast on Wednesday.

– That work has never been more extensive than it is now and there are limits to how many people have time to call and trace the infection. There is clearly a limit to this. Exactly where it goes is difficult to say, but the municipalities report that they are now approaching an absolute maximum capacity, he said.