Last Updated on October 17, 2021 by Team THIP
Quick Take
A few social media users are claiming that Norway has officially reclassified COVID-19 as “No more dangerous than ordinary flu.” We fact-checked and found that the claim is mostly false.
The Claim
“Norway reclassifies Covid-19: No more dangerous than ordinary flu,” reads a headline of an article whose screenshot has been shared by social media users. Such posts can be seen here and here. A screenshot is given below.
Fact Check
Is the screenshot of the article shared real?
Yes. The article is real. It was published on online news website named Free West Media on Sep 23, 2021.
The article quoted assistant director of Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH), Geir Bukholm’s interview with the Norwegian tabloid Verdens Gang.
Did Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) changed reclassified COVID as regular flu?
No. NIPH did not reclassify COVID-19 as a regular Flu.
After Bukholm’s interview got syndicated and viral, Newsweek reached out to NIPH. A representative from the health body said that Bukholm’s speech has been misunderstood. NIPH clarified to Newsweek, “”Our position, as stated in the news article, is that at this point in the pandemic we must start approaching COVID-19 as one of several respiratory diseases circulating with seasonal variation. This means that the control measures that will be applicable for various respiratory diseases will require the same level of societal preparedness. This does not mean that illness from coronavirus and the seasonal flu are similar.”
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