| schema:text
| - Fact Check: Covid no more dangerous than common flu? No, Norway did not 'reclassify' disease
A screenshot of a news article that says Norway has reclassified Covid-19 and called it "no more dangerous than ordinary flu" is circulating on social media. India Today found the claim to be misleading.
Listen to Story
India Today Fact Check
With dip in cases, Norway has lifted Covid restrictions in the country. But it has not reclassified the disease or said that it is “no more dangerous than ordinary flu”. The claim is a distortion of a comment given by a health official to a local tabloid.
A screenshot of a news article is circulating on social media that says Norway has reclassified Covid-19, saying it is “no more dangerous than ordinary flu”.
India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found that with a dip in cases, Norway has lifted Covid restrictions in the country. But it has not reclassified the disease or said that it is “no more dangerous than ordinary flu”. The claim is a distortion of a comment given by a health official to a local tabloid.
Using keyword search, we found the original report that was published on a website called “Free West Media” on September 23.
The article quoted a senior official of Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH), the highest health authority in the Scandinavian country. The quote was given by NIPH assistant director Geir Bukholm to Norwegian tabloid “Verdens Gang”.
“We are now in a new phase where we must look at coronavirus as one of several respiratory diseases with seasonal variation,” VG quoted Bukholm as saying, according to Google translation of the Norwegian article.
American weekly magazine “Newsweek” had contacted NIPH for more clarification on the viral claim.
“It is not correct that the Norwegian Institute of Public Health has claimed that Covid is no more dangerous than ordinary flu. This statement is probably a misinterpretation of the interview in VG,” NIPH told 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 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,” NIPH further clarified.
With an effective vaccination drive and decrease in the number of cases, the Norwegian government had lifted Covid restrictions on September 26. But it never reclassified the disease or compared it with ordinary flu.
ALSO READ: Fact Check: This old stone-pelting video is from Jammu & Kashmir, not Rajasthan
ALSO READ: Fact Check: Is Yohani of ‘Manike Mage Hithe’ fame the new cultural envoy between India, SL?
Please share it on our at 73 7000 7000
You can also send us an email at factcheck@intoday.com
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)