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

Frazer Norwell
Frazer Norwell - [email protected]
Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday 
A reindeer at Jotunheimen National Park. Photo: Sébastien Goldberg/Unsplash "

Find out what's going on in Norway on Wednesday with The Local's short roundup of important news. 

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NIPH tells Norway to prepare for busy flu season 

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) has told Norway to prepare for strong waves of Influenza, Pertussis (Whooping Cough) and Respiratory Syncytial Virus this winter. 

The NIPH has said that due to so few cases in the previous year and strict infection control measures, there is now lower immunity in the population against these diseases. 

It believes that this will lead to significantly more hospital admissions, and possibly deaths, than a typical winter and autumn. 

On average, the NIPH estimates that 900 people die from influenza in a normal season, but in some seasons, the number can be as high as 1,500. 

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Oslo announces crackdown on scooters

Oslo officials announced Tuesday measures to rein in popular electric scooters, including slashing their numbers and a ban on renting them at night.

The Norwegian capital has decided to cap the number of scooters available for hire, reducing the number from more than 20,000 to 8,000 as of September.

In addition, there will be a ban on scooter rentals between 11pm and 5am, when people are more likely to be drunk, in a city that currently has the highest scooter density rates in Europe.

REVEALED: How Oslo will crackdown on electric scooters

"It's been an untenable situation for many years in our city, especially for the blind, visually impaired, wheelchair users and the elderly," city councillor Sirin Stav, who oversees the environment and transport, said in a statement.

Oil fund hits 12 trillion kroner

On Tuesday afternoon, the market value of Norway's Government Pension Fund, or oil fund, the largest sovereign wealth fund in the world, passed 12,000,000,000,000, or 12 trillion, kroner for the first time ever. 

The oil fund comprises the country's revenues from the oil and gas industry, which is invested in over 9,000 different companies worldwide. 

The Government Pension Fund has increased by more than 1 trillion kroner since the New Year. 

EXPLAINED: Why is Norway such a wealthy nation?              

182 new Covid-19 infections in Norway

On Tuesday, 182 cases of coronavirus were registered across Norway. This is a slight increase of six compared to the seven-day average for the country. 

In Oslo, 24 Covid-19 infections were recorded, 2 two less than the day before and five less than the weekly average for the Norwegian capital. 

Total number of Covid-19 cases in Norway so far. Source: NIPH

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