TUNTREET TAKES THE TEMP: Vaccines and critique of the municipality

After thirteen months of restrictions, three rounds of full lockdowns, and way too much Zoom, things seem brighter for Ås. The number of new cases is falling. The number of vaccinated people is climbing. While we wait for herd immunity and a more normal life, Tuntreet has sent out this semester’s last corona-related questionary.

Journalist: Sofie Bergset Janols
Illustrator: Oda Braar Wæge
Translator: Thea Samskott

Who has replied?
The questionary was shared on Tuntreet’s Facebook page, the NMBU group and Ås kommunes venner. A total of 433 replies were submitted in the open period, 20th -24th of April.

Who has been vaccinated?
22 of the respondents have received one or both vaccine doses. 9 of these are health personnel, and four have crossed of for underlying disease. A big section of the vaccinated (9 people) are 65 years old or more, but we also find 6 NMBU-students among the vaccinated. Of the vaccinated, 6 are registered in Ås municipality.

What about the rest, do they want vaccines?
An overwhelming majority wanted to take the vaccine if given the option. Among the 19 people saying they don’t want to take a vaccine, 7 are afraid of complications. 5 participants cross of “feeling like the vaccine is forced upon them”. Others feel like the disease is exaggerated, or that they are not particularly exposed, and that the dose can go to someone who needs it more.

Figure 5: Do you want the vaccine? 411 replies — **Figure 5:** Do you want the vaccine? 411 replies

Are some age groups less compliant to taking the vaccine?
Some age groups differ from the rest. While most people from 18 to 34 years old wish to take the vaccine (97% and 96%), the percentage is lower for the age group above (78%). Moving on, the support grows again, with 95% amongst 45–54-year-old’s and 100% amongst 55–64-year-olds. Most of those over 65 who responded were already vaccinated.

Do any student groups stand out?
95% of the NMBU-students who responded to the questionary would have accepted a vaccine, given the opportunity. None of the faculties differ from the rest. Among the veterinary students and single-course students, everybody says yes. 98% of students by MINA, KBM and LANDSAM would accept the vaccine, likewise 97% of Business and Economics students. Following, we have REALTEK at 94%. It is the students of BIOVIT who are the most “sceptic” about the vaccine at a yes-percentage of 92%.

Everybody at their 6th, 7th or higher cohorts who replied to the questionary wanted vaccines. Among “fourth years” the percentage is 97%. Among first years, “second graders” and people on their fifth year, the percentage is 96%. 94% of third years want the vaccine.

Figure 6: Which vaccine would you take? 403 replies — **Figure 6:** Which vaccine would you take? 403 replies

Which vaccines would we accept?
Most people would have chosen Pfizer or Moderna. About half would have accepted the Johnson&Johnson vaccine, while the least people want the Astra Zeneca.

The questionnaire also asked the following questions: “Have the serious AstraZeneca complications made you less willing to take the vaccine?”. The answers were evenly distributed from “No, not at all” to “Yes, to a large degree”. The students are placed in the middle, while other people in Ås have pulled to the extremes.

Figure 7 and 8: Have the serious side-effects of the AstraZeneca made you less willing to take the vaccine?

When do you think everyone will be vaccinated?

Most of the people who replied, counted on everyone being fully vaccinated by August and September. Some are more optimistic, aiming for July, while a bigger percentage believing in October or later.

“Are you pleased by Ås municipality’s handling of corona?”
On a scale from 1 (very displeased) to 5 (very satisfied), most answer 3. The majority means that Ås has been mediocre. Here one can see a clear difference between NMBU-students and other Ås-ers. The students are generally more displeased, while the rest of the respondents are more positive. If one compares the age groups, the same difference can be seen between those under and over 25 years old.

Figure 10 and 11: Are you satisfied with Ås municipality’s handling of Corona?

The final judgement
When the questionnaire allowed the participants to share what they are pleased and displeased with, there were 162 replies. Dissatisfaction with the municipal chief physician and Ås Avis’ communication towards students and young people is the main issue. Also, many point to it being difficult to find information/it being behind payment walls in Ås Avis. Other issues are the testing capacity, closed campus and poor care for the students. At the same time, as some have felt like the burden from the restrictions have been crushing, some have felt safe because of the same restrictions. Quick dealing with outbreaks and good mapping of transition routes are pushed forward as areas where Ås has handled the pandemic well.

Some comments to the municipality
“Sucky statements from the municipal chief physician branding students and young people as scapegoats. It has been sad, really. Especially as one has lost a year of experiences and new people. I also think the municipality should have enabled concerts in a safe way. It should be possible, big stores have been open to huge herds of people.” NMBU-student

“The way to long lockdown scrapes away on the psyche.” Not NMBU-student

“Little communication, and communication via exclusive platforms. Seemingly discriminatory statements from employees in the municipality about single groups, and negative ridiculing of arrangements that were performed according to restrictions (buddy week, smaller groups with distance outside...)(…) Discrimination based on age, based on how families of 4 or 5 have been able to meet in cohorts and been 12/15 people outside, while individuals (students, grown-ups and elders) have not been able to take advantage of such cohorts in the same way.” NMBU-student

“There have been few cases among students, still lecture halls and important laboratory courses are closed. I think the municipality could have worked to keep this open.” NMBU-student

“The municipality chief physician has been arrogant and has prattled about youths and students. Shame on you! Too many office rats in city hall were vaccinated in the first place: kindergarten personnel, health personnel, store employees. It is an immeasurable advantage they have received, and it can probably be blamed on the political management for poor or lacking power critical analyses.” Not NMBU-student

“I think students have been put through it both by negative attitudes and few measures to help the students. I also think it is sad that relatives were not allowed in the nursing homes to say goodbye to their loved one’s last year. Occasionally poor capacity by the testing station, where habitants of Ås had to get tested in other municipalities because it was impossible here” NMBU-student

“I guess they did what they could.” Not NMBU-student

“Displeased with how we have not been able to get tested without symptoms or close contact. There should have been a low threshold option to get tested like in Oslo. The opportunity with speed testing in Aud-Max, which came recently, is a great measurement!” NMBU-student

“I am happy about the strict rules. It makes me feel safer. I am not entirely pleased with the dealing of single-incidents (thinking of the popular pointing-fingers). It is an unfair situation for everyone, and the lockdown is nobody’s fault.” NMBU-student

“I am fine with the municipal chief physician being strict. I think she should be even stricter. I think the student leader needs to pull her stuff together fast as heck. She portrays the students like whiney children, and she makes it dangerous for us who already live in Ås. The students I know are not like that, luckily.” Not NMBU-student

“The rude and arrogant comments in media from the municipal chief physician. Lack of information about outbreaks. Chaos and not being possible to mass-test (like the outbreak at Eika when the system broke down). Seems obsessed with “catching” people and pointing out blame and contributing to making it taboo to get corona.” NMBU-student

“That the university has been closed even though there have been close to no infections among students. It seems especially unfair when schools got to stay open during outbreaks. Don’t want to put groups against each other, but I don’t understand the reasoning behind closing the universities and lecture halls entirely when no one have been infected there.” NMBU-student

“Exposing people or public humiliation of smaller groups in the paper, when it was unnecessary. This has given a lot of the students a distaste for the municipality.” NMBU-student