STATUS 2023: RECOMMENDATIONS IN THIS ARTICLE REGARDING NUVAXOVID SHOULD NOT BE FOLLOWED ANYMORE.

This article has originally been written in Norwegian. You can read a machine translated version here:

At the time of writing, 92.7% of the Norwegian population over the age of 18 have been vaccinated against Covid-19 with the first, and 89.6% with the 2nd dose according to SYSVAK , i.e. almost 4 million . Compared to other European countries, Norway is far ahead and volunteerism is cited as the main reason for this.

Nevertheless, there are as many as 330,000 people who have not received a single vaccine, and of those the age group 18-44 makes up the largest proportion, about 70% ( Preben Aavitsland, FHI, reproduced in NRK ).

The number of unvaccinated people with work close to patients , i.e. both the primary and specialist health services (i.e. everything from health workers, nurses, doctors, ambulance personnel and therapists) is over 19,600 people ( FHI/Beredt C19/SYSVAK ).

We hear at least individually about stories in the media, and in personal conversations with people and other healthcare personnel , that the cause is not a general vaccine opposition, but a separate assessment of the technology used: mRNA treatment has existed for a while, but vaccination with this technology is brand new.

In Norway, as of now, only Comirnaty (BioNTech/Pfizer) and Spikevax (Moderna) are in use/ approved . The Norwegian Medicines Agency reports only mild side effects, all of which have a short-term time horizon.

If you search for academic counter-arguments , it is never difficult to find such, regardless of the topic. E.g. a new study published in the renowned trade journal Circulation. It warns, on the basis of increased blood markers, of a 25% increased long-term risk (5-year) of developing a heart attack after mRNA vaccination across age groups ( Circulation, Gundry, 2021 ).

I would like to claim that people aged 18-44, and especially healthcare personnel today, are well informed and make a conscious decision on the basis of information they acquire for themselves. This decision does not come without a price , because temps don't get jobs, regulars get laid off, unvaccinated people end up in the group of conspiracy theorists, or at least become egoists who put society and particularly vulnerable groups at risk. V i has no one to lose – neither the vulnerable in the risk groups – nor those who are now being stigmatized and would otherwise be a resource for society. We do not have enough health personnel and the age group up to 44 is a central part of the workforce that is not optimally utilized!

It is therefore, in my eyes, very pleasing that Nuvaxovid (from Novavax) has received approval in Europe and is being assessed by the Norwegian Medicines Agency . This type of vaccine uses neither mRNA nor vector technology, but subunit , a well-tested and recognized standard in vaccination. It has been used for a long time as a flu vaccine, against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, to name a few.

The subunit now accounts for the largest share of research and development of vaccines against Covid-19 ( Milken Institute ). Trials have been successful and both the background of the vaccine and the side effects should make it attractive as a Covid-19 vaccine in Norway.

It will give the unvaccinated group in particular an alternative and an opportunity to participate in society again. FHI and the government, for their part, could strengthen the argument by offering precisely an alternative, not just making calls and appeals that will be music to deaf ears.

According to Dagbladet, the Ministry of Health and Care (V/state secretary and doctor Ole Henrik Krat Bjørkholt ) has ordered over 500,000 doses of this vaccine and it is up to FHI to assess distribution and implementation.

I encourage you to contact FHI (head of the corona vaccination program Geir Bukholm ), the Ministry of Health and Care (Minister Ingvild Kjerkol ) and the Directorate of Health (Director Bjørn Guldvog ) to convey a strong desire to have Nuvaxovid approved and distributed in Norway. Promote the issue and get more people back to work! Thanks.
 

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