- Officials said 50 people had positive PCR tests, 10 had positive lateral flow tests
- At least one person at the festive party had recently returned from South Africa
- Medics have ruled out the Delta variant, said it is likely the new Omicron strain
A Christmas party in Norway has left between 50 and 60 people infected with Covid-19, suspected to be the new super-mutant Omicron variant.
If confirmed, it would be the world’s biggest outbreak of the new strain so far.
Medics have ruled out the possibility the infections are Delta variant cases and said it is highly likely to be a new strain.
Officials said 50 people tested positive on a PCR test following Norwegian renewable energy company Scatec’s Christmas dinner at Louise Restaurant & Bar in Oslo.
A further 10 people received positive results from lateral flow tests.
The Christmas party was held in a closed room but the guests reportedly mingled with other people in the restaurant after 10:30 pm, when it turned into a nightclub.
At least two restaurant guests not involved in the Christmas party also later tested positive, though it is not yet clear if they were infected at the event or from a different contact.
One of the Scatec employees had recently returned from South Africa, where the company does some of its business.
It was not immediately clear if the employee was patient zero or if they had been travelling in South Africa for Scatec.
The Head of the infection tracking team in Oslo west, Jorum Thaulow, said all the cases had been treated as if they had the Omicron variant and told to self-isolate for seven days.
Thaulow told local media the cases’ close contacts were also warned quarantine for ten days in they develop Covid-19.
At least 41 of the cases live in Oslo.
Credit: Daily Mail UK
