All COVID tests sold out as Norwegians rush to pharmacies

Despite doctors no longer recommending routine testing for every patient exhibiting symptoms of an upper respiratory infection, COVID-19 tests are currently vanishing from stores and pharmacies across Norway, according to a report by the "Dagbladet" newspaper.

Kine Søyland, head of communication for the Norwegian food group NorgesGruppen, has acknowledged that there has been a noticeable resurgence in the demand for coronavirus tests recently. As a result, many stores under the conglomerate's various networks are reportedly running out of stock.

"We're waiting for new test deliveries. However, there's no guarantee that all stores will receive a sufficient amount," says Søyland.

Of interest, the Norwegian Ministry of Health recently approved an amendment to the regulations on diseases that pose a threat to the population, officially removing COVID-19 from this list. Concurrently, regulations pertaining to the coronavirus have been repealed. In practical terms, this implies that doctors no longer advise routine testing for every patient experiencing fever or other symptoms of an upper respiratory infection.

Surprisingly, on the day that officials formally declared that the coronavirus no longer posed a threat to citizens, the sale of tests in the country's largest pharmacy network, Apotek 1, skyrocketed, as reported by the "Dagbladet" newspaper.

"Sales of coronavirus tests are currently seven times higher than they were in the fall and increasing week by week. We haven't sold this many COVID-19 self-tests since last February," reveals Silje Ensrud, the pharmacy network manager responsible for media contact.