Fact Check: Has Norway "Reclassified" COVID As Flu?

As Norway alleviate its COVID confinement this calendar month , there are a number of articles and social posts media going around that say “ Norway has reclassified COVID-19 as common flu . ” Such claim suggest that wellness authorities in the Scandinavian land have admitted that COVID-19 is “ no more life-threatening ” than other common respiratory illnesses .

However , this is not lawful . While Norway has recently align its response to COVID-19 , it ’s misleading to say that   COVID-19 is no more dangerous than grippe . It ’s also   incorrect to suggest that Norway is treat the two disease as the same .

“ It is not right that the Norwegian Institute of Public Health [ NIPH ] has claim that ‘ Covid-19 is no more dangerous than ordinary grippe . ’ This statement is belike a misinterpretation of this interview in a magnanimous Norse newspaper , ” a representative from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health ( NIPH ) told IFLScience .

The article , published in the tabloidVGon September 20 , featured a comment from Geir Bukholm , Deputy Director - General of NIPH , say : “ We are now in a fresh form where we must look at the coronavirus as one of several respiratory disease with seasonal variation . ”

clarify this statement , the NIPH spokesperson added : “ Our lieu , as state in the news clause , is that at this point in the pandemic we must start come near COVID-19 as one of several respiratory disease circulating with seasonal variation . This mean that the control measures that will be applicable for various respiratory diseases will call for the same level of societal preparedness . ”

“ This does not mean that illness from coronavirus [ COVID-19 ] and the seasonal influenza are similar , ” they added .

On Saturday , September 25 , the Norwegian governmentremovedmost of its social distancing measures . The NIPH said the move was made in Christ Within of relatively low and brace COVID-19 casing numbers in the nation , which they accredit to a high vaccine coverage in the population . The approach is summarized as “ normal daily lifespan with increased readiness . ” However , masses are still boost to get tested if they experience symptoms and those that essay positive for COVID-19 are still required to self - isolate .

Influenza ( flu ) and COVID-19 are both transmissible respiratory malady , but they are due to very different viruses . Both illness can cause alike symptoms , notably a coughing and fever , butplenty of researchhas shown that COVID-19 issignificantly more black . COVID-19 is also more associated withlong - term impactson extensive wellness , ranging from “ mastermind fog ” and persisting weariness to organ harm anddiabetes .

originally this calendar month , itwas shownthat more the great unwashed in the US have died of COVID-19 than the numeral of American fatality seen during the“Spanish influenza ” pandemic of 1918 , the venomous influenza outbreak of the past C .