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Researchers took organs from accident victims

Government researchers in Norway removed the organs of 1,000 accident victims, without asking their relatives, to build up a biobank of control tissues for their experiments, the country's VG newspaper has reported.

Published: 27 June 2014 14:15 CEST

Researchers took organs from accident victims

A forensic pathology lab at the Norwegian Institute of Public Medicine. Photo: Jimmy Linus/NIPH

According to the paper, researchers at the Institute of Forensic Medicine systematically removed parts of organs from 1000 Norwegians between 2001 and spring this year, when the practice was brought to a halt.

According to Bjørn Magne Eggen, the Director of Forensic Sciences at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, which took over the forensic operations in 2011, the tissue was needed to create a "normal control".

"The material is anonymised to compare the findings of any special investigations against a normal population," he told Norway's VG newspaper.

VG revealed in May forensic experts at Institute had taken the brains and other organs of some 700 babies, often without the consent of the parents, in order to research Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or Sids.

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Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Friday

Oslo Operahus. Photo by Arvid Malde on Unsplash

Covid-19 certificate launches in Norway

The complete domestic version of Norway’s Covid-19 certificate is expected to be ready to launch today.

From 3 pm, the certificate will allow fully vaccinated travellers to skip entry quarantine if they test negative for coronavirus within two days of their arrival.

The government has said numerous times that the Covid-19 certificate would help speed up the country’s reopening plan.

However, they are yet to release more details on how exactly this will be done. They have also previously said that the domestic version of the Covid-19 certificate would be used for tours and cruises within Norway.

The domestic version of the certificate takes the form of a simple QR code. The government have said that pictures of the QR codes should not be shared or posted anywhere.

The domestic version of the Norwegian Covid-19 certificate. Source: NIPH

The version that will be used for travel in the EU as part of the Vaccine Passport scheme will not be ready until July.

The Covid-19 certificate is available at helsenorge.no.

READ MORE: New Norway to launch full version of digital ‘Covid certificates’

New quarantine hotel rules

New quarantine hotel rules that allow travellers who have received both doses of Covid-19 vaccine in Norway to skip entry quarantine provided they test negative for Covid-19 within two days of their arrival come into effect this afternoon.

From 3 pm, arrivals can present their Norwegian Covid-19 certificate and will not be obliged to undertake the entry quarantine period if they test negative for the virus within two days.

READ MORE: Travel: Norway to scrap entry quarantine for vaccinated arrivals

Those with a single vaccine, administered in Norway at least three weeks before their arrival, will be able to test out of home quarantine after three days.

Travellers vaccinated abroad and travelling with the EU vaccine passport will not be able to skip entry quarantine until July at the latest.

Top health official fears voluntary Johnson & Johnson vaccine could lead to deaths

Director of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Camilla Stoltenberg, has said she fears the new scheme that will allow volunteers to take the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine could lead to deaths.

“I am afraid someone will get a blood clot, and afraid someone might die from this. But I hope it does not happen,” she told Norwegian newspaper VG.

Cases of blood clots have been reported in relation to the single-dose vaccine in Europe and the US.

From June 15th, those wishing to take the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be able to book a medical evaluation to receive the vaccine if specific criteria are met.

Only certain categories of people will qualify, including those who need to travel to countries where the pandemic is raging, those who, for various reasons, cannot wait their turn to receive the other available vaccines and those who have loved ones suffering from severe forms of cancer.

READ MORE: Norway offers Johnson & Johnson vaccine to volunteers

The final decision will lie with the doctor.

210 new Covid cases

On Thursday, 210 new coronavirus infections were registered in Norway, 10 cases less than the seven-day average of 220.

In Oslo, 53 new cases of infection were registered, 15 less than the seven-day average of 68.

The R-number or reproduction rate in Norway is currently 0.9. This means that every ten people that are infected will, on average, only infect another nine people, indicating that the infection level is declining.

Number of reported Covid-19 cases in Norway. Source: NIPH

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