Norway delays reopening as Delta variant threat looms, PM says

[July 05, 2021]  OSLO (Reuters) - Norway is delaying the next major step in unwinding restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic to the end of the month at the earliest, Prime Minister Erna Solberg said on Monday.

"There is a risk that the Delta variant will cause a fourth wave of infection in the unvaccinated part of the population, among those who have only received one dose or are in vulnerable groups," Solberg said.

The World Health Organization has said Delta is becoming the globally dominant variant of COVID-19, raising concerns over whether existing vaccines will work against it.

In Norway, it could become the dominant variant in Norway this month ,the Norwegian health minister has said.

Almost two-thirds of adults have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 37% of adults are fully vaccinated, according to the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

(Reporting by Victoria Klesty; editing by Gwladys Fouche)

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