Outside of the first three weeks of the pandemic, the rate of infection among foreign-born infections was higher than in the general population. The expert group currently proposes 29 solutions to reduce infection among immigrants.
Several of these solutions are concerned with finding information and adapting it to different groups.
- The expert group considers that many of the measures already initiated have been useful but not sufficient. When we see that the proportion of infected and hospitalized is much higher among immigrants, we need to do more to reach the right groups. This applies both to information on the principles of infection control and the practical possibilities of complying with them, says Guri Melby, Minister of Education and Integration.
Suggest a "say no" campaign
The expert group received feedback that in many settings there is tremendous pressure to join major community activities, despite advice and policies on infection control.
- We propose to strengthen the work related to the implementation of targeted campaigns and focus on social pressures. For example, the "Say No" campaign can be considered as raising awareness of the legal and health consequences of violating infection control rules, says director of the Directorate for Integration and Diversity (IMDi) and head of the expert group, Libe Rieber Mohn.
- We don't see any reason to wait with that. We now entrust them to the agencies that serve them with the task of launching an information and attitude-building campaign, says Melby.
Multilingual corona phone and national infection detection team
The expert committee proposes to extend the current corona phone to the largest minority languages in Norway. In addition, the committee proposes a multilingual national infection detection team that has specific knowledge of the health of migration and knows the most common minority languages.
– To prevent the spread of infection, all social groups must participate. We know that immigrants from poor speaking and understanding skills may be difficult find current and correct information. We will therefore continue with the expert group's proposal and expand the current corona telephone to cover all minority languages, says Minister of Health and Social Services Bent Høie.
The National Institute of Public Health has already established an infection detection team that uses, among others, English and Polish. The Ministry of Health and Welfare, together with the department, will assess whether the team can be expanded to include medical staff who speak other relevant minority languages.
The expert group proposes 29 solutions
The group of experts was established on November 16 this year. And she was asked to evaluate existing measures and propose new solutions to limit the spread of the coronavirus in the immigrant population. The group was led by Libe Rieber-Mohn, director of Integration and Diversity. It also included representatives of the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration, the Norwegian Directorate of Health, the National Institute of Public Health, the Municipality of Oslo, Caritas, the MiRA resource center for minority women, and the Department for Social Research.
- Disseminating critical information and messages from the authorities must take into account the fact that we now have a completely different composition of the population than a few years ago. The pandemic has shown us that disseminating information to people who do not speak Norwegian should be a topic in all social security and emergency preparedness plans. This should be a learning point for possible crises to follow, says Libe Rieber Mohn.
The group proposes 29 measures divided into four categories: 1) infection control and prevention, 2) measures to increase testing and better infection detection, 3) measures to increase the implementation of quarantine and isolation, 4) other priority information measures.
. Solutions to reduce infections among immigrants.
Information kits in the appropriate languages for employers.
Notification service Norwegian Labor Inspectorate about non-compliance with infection control regulations.
Permanent meeting places for health authorities, voluntary organizations, immigrant organizations and religious communities.
Providing people who are not legally resident with the possibility to undergo tests, quarantine and treatment.
Work intensified thanks to adapted information campaigns.
Several in-house test stations and outpatient tests in areas with high immigration rates.
Information at test stations must be translated.
Disseminate test results in several languages.
Targeted use of rapid tests.
Experiments with voluntary mass testing in areas with high infection concentration.
Information campaigns on tests in several languages.
Ensure the use of a qualified interpreter.
National Multilingual Infection Detection Team.
More visible test stations at larger airports.
Assessment of the financial compensation system for people who have not obtained the right to sickness benefit.
Provide access to quarantine premises for people who cannot comply with the distance requirements in their own home.
Make sure that the rules of quarantine and isolation are understood by everyone.
The translation of information from the authorities, such as press conferences, needs to be done quickly. This should be coordinated centrally.
Simple and customized information packages that are made available to municipalities and voluntary organizations.
A direct channel of communication with the immigrant population.
A national website with information in different languages.
Multi-lingual corona telephone.
Vaccination plan covering the immigrant population.
Contact with local employees.
Video campaigns with famous people from different countries.
Cooperation with voluntary and immigrant organizations as well as religious and philosophical communities.
Work with endangered environments to counter shame and stigma.
Campaigns to prevent negative attitudes.
Systematic acquisition of knowledge.
Foreign-born people are over-represented in infection statistics
Of the total number of reported Covid-19 cases with known country of birth from the outbreak of the pandemic and up to and including week 47, 35 percent were born outside Norway. The percentage with a confirmed infection was highest among those born in Somalia, Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkey and Eritrea. The infection among people in Eritrea, Somalia and Turkey has dropped significantly over the past week.
So far, the National Institute of Public Health does not have any data that would allow to check the extent to which the infection is present in one's own family and social circle. However, the report refers to the experience of working with the detection of infections, which gives us reason to believe that the majority of infections in the immigrant population occur in their own environment, family and social circle.
The proportion of infected people who become infected abroad has significantly decreased recently. Nevertheless, the importance of imported infections has at times been a major challenge which may worsen again.
Several reasons why immigrants are more at risk
The expert group's review shows that there are several reasons for the over-representation of infection in some immigrant communities. The report addresses, inter alia, challenges related to information, social pressure and stigma, and specific cultural determinants. Financial weakness is also highlighted as a barrier that stands in the way of compliance with infection control measures.
– The fear of losing income may be an obstacle to checking yourself and implementing quarantine and isolation people without the right to benefits sickness or having a poor connection with professional life. At the same time, social expectations, lack of trust in official information or religious beliefs may hamper effective infection control. The expert group's recommendations aim to reduce several of these barriers, says Libe Rieber Mohn.
