Corporate party in Oslo turns into potential home of Omicron . variant

Of the 120 guests, all were vaccinated, however, more than half tested positive for Covid … A festive evening in Oslo turned into a potential epicenter of infection with the Omicron variant, fueling concerns about its strong transmissibility and resistance to vaccines.

It all started with a company party on November 26 in the Norwegian capital: at the invitation of solar producer Scatec, about 120 people, including one who had recently returned from South Africa, gathered at Louise’s restaurant to celebrate Christmas early.

Read alsoCovid-19, what to know this week: Omicron . alert

“Everyone was vaccinated, they showed no symptoms and they all underwent a self-examination” before the meal, Municipal Health Authority official Tyne Ruffalo told AFP on Friday.

She stressed that “everything was done in order and no rule was violated.”

However, a week later, the party atmosphere was no longer there: 64 guests, or a large half of about 120 participants, had tested positive for Covid, the Omicron case has been confirmed so far and 17 others are suspected.

These numbers are still provisional, and will likely increase as test analyzes progress.

Of the infected guests, none have yet developed a severe form of the disease, and most have mild symptoms in the form of headaches, sore throats and coughing, according to Ms. Ruffalo.

see also – The Vaccine Director at Pfizer France explains how the vaccine can be adapted to the Omicron variant

Wear a mask and work remotely

The largest known spread to date of the Omicron variant could be in Europe, or even in the world.

According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the number of known cases of people infected with this type in European Economic Area countries (EU plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) reached 79 on Thursday.

After this suspected outbreak of the Omicron variant emerged, on Thursday the Norwegian government announced a series of health restrictions in Oslo and its region.

Norway’s Health Minister Ingfeld Kerkul described the situation as “alarming”.

This indicates that the virus is transmitted very easily and that the vaccine does not protect well against contamination. We hope and believe that the vaccine will prevent severe forms of the disease, but it is not clear to what extent.”

Since midnight (23:00 GMT), mask-wearing – until then only recommended nationally – has been made mandatory in and around Oslo on public transport, taxis, malls and stores where it is impossible to get away.

Teleworking has also become the norm where possible, with the number of people at private indoor events set to a maximum of 100 people, and bar and restaurant patrons having to sign up with alcoholic beverages to be served seated.

see also – Variant Omicron: “Nine cases have been confirmed in five different regions”, Count Olivier Veran