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OSLO, March 2 (Reuters) - Norway may tighten national
restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the
country's health minister said on Tuesday.
The Nordic country has one of the lowest rates of infections
in Europe but a recent resurgence in new cases, particularly in
the capital Oslo where the more contagious variant first
identified in Britain now dominates, is a cause for concern for
authorities.
"We could be seeing the beginning of a third wave," Bent
Hoeie told a news conference.
"We need to be prepared that the next two months can be
quite tough," Hoeie said, adding it was crucial to keep the
spreading of the virus under control.
Authorities will now distribute COVID-19 vaccines to
municipalities in proportion to their population, rather than in
relation to their proportion of elderly residents, which will
give more vaccines to Oslo, Hoeie said.
Presently Norway is using the vaccines developed by Pfizer
and BioNTech, Moderna and
AstraZeneca - the latter for those under the age of 65.
The Norwegian Institute of Public Health said on Tuesday it
would now consider whether to reverse its advice and give the
AstraZeneca vaccine to those over the age of 65, given new
research showing it could prove effective for those aged 65
years and over.
(Reporting by Gwladys Fouche, editing by Nora Buli)