23 April: The reproduction rate for coronavirus infections in Oslo is below 1
The Norwegian Institute for Public Health (FHI) has informed us today that the reproduction rate for coronavirus is 0.88, as of 16 April. Governing Mayor Raymond Johansen commented, «The development of the epidemic is moving in the right direction for Oslo, and the measures that we have introduced seem to be giving results».
Note: Information about measures taken against the spread of the Corona virus is changed on an ongoing basis. This means that the information in the press release may be outdated. You will find updated information on the web page Corona virus: Information on the Corona virus and measures that have been implemented in the city of Oslo.
Since 28 February, the City government has been on emergency alert, and since 11 March this has been at the highest level. The City officials release updates about steps taken to prevent further spreading of the Coronavirus.
Read this press release in Norwegian
The reproduction rate (abbreviated to «R»), measures the average number of new people who will be infected by a single person with the coronavirus. The reproduction rate in Oslo has been calculated by the FHI to have been 3,47 before the infection-prevention measures were introduced, and 0.88 after the measures were in place.
«I am very glad that the rate of infection for Oslo is less than 1. If «R» is below 1, then we will stop the epidemic and it will decrease over time. We know that Oslo has higher infection rates than the rest of the country, but the R-number shows that it is possible to slow the virus. The people of Oslo have recognised how serious this crisis is, and I will praise them strongly for that», said Governing Mayor Raymond Johansen.
Even though the rate of infection in Oslo has been reduced, FHI expects that the coronavirus can attack 50-70 percent of the population before it finally burns out or a vaccine is available. This means that the situation must be monitored carefully in the time ahead, to prevent new peaks which would be a heavy load on the health service.
Governing Mayor Raymond Johansen comments, «We must carry on staying at home, working from home, washing our hands and keeping a safe distance from each other, for a while yet. The indications are clear that we are moving in the right direction, and I hope this development will continue, also after we have opened up more of the city.»
Press contact
media@byr.oslo.kommune.no / +47 99 28 90 90 (not SMS)
More information about the coronavirus in Oslo
All status reports from Oslo city council on coronavirus outbreak