The last three weeks have National Institute of Public Health written that the next coronavirus variant that will present challenges in Europe is not necessarily a completely new variant of SARS-CoV-2, but a mutated version of the delta variant.
Department director Line Vold says that the National Institute of Public Health now believes that we are facing a change.
– The Delta variant has been dominant for some time in Norway, Europe and the rest of the world. As it looks now, there is a lot of change in the delta variant, so that subgroups of it are developed. Now we believe that we will see a shift in which subgroups will eventually dominate the spread of infection, says Vold to Dagbladet and continues:
– But this is a development that will take place over a long period of time, so we do not know which subgroup of the delta variant will dominate the spread of infection in the future.
INCREASE: Head of department at FHI, Line Vold answers questions about the increased corona infection. Reporter: Frode Andresen. Video: Anton Lier. view more
–
Subgroups in Norway
To date, 27 cases of the delta subgroup have been identified AY. 4.2, which the European Agency for Communicable Disease Control (ECDC) and the UK health authorities have put on a list of variants that they are closely following.
In addition, there has been a clear increase in the number of cases of the delta variant with changes in nail position 484 (E484Q), which is a potentially important mutation that can affect immunity. The cases are mainly registered in Viken, but it is not known whether they are associated with specific outbreaks.
– At present, we have not registered subgroups of the delta variant in Norway with significantly changed characteristics that we fear will affect the pandemic to a large extent. But we know from the past that it is important to follow this, so we still do, says Vold.
INFECTION RECORD: Assistant health director Espen Rostrup Nakstad about the infection record in Norway and the upcoming Christmas table season. Reporter: Signe Elise Morthen Stenersen / Dagbladet view more
–
Variants and infection
Recently, the infection pressure in Norway has increased abruptly, but Vold and FHI do not believe that this is due to subgroups of the delta variant.
– We do not believe that the occurrence of subgroups of the delta variant is one of the reasons for the increase in infection that we are seeing now – it is unlikely. It is the original delta variant that dominates the spread of infection in Norway, and we do not believe that new subgroups have affected the situation, nor have we seen subgroups with significantly changed characteristics.
