A report, in Norwegian, in Dagbladet, suggests extensive transmission of B.1.1.529 at a Christmas party in Oslo, Norway.
The article in Norwegian is here (for those with the appropriate linguistic skills):
Var på julebord i solenergi-selskap
I used Google Translate to extract the essentials of the article.
Discussion of the article follows after the quoted text.
The health authorities in the district of Frogner in Oslo have earlier today stated that 30-40 people are suspected of being infected by the omikron variant after a "social event under the auspices of the job". This afternoon, Dagbladet receives confirmation that it is a Christmas table in the solar energy company Scatec.
- I can confirm that it is Scatec, Tine Ravlo, assistant district chief physician and infection control chief physician in Frogner, informs Dagbladet.
120 participants
The company - which has a South Africa office - has earlier today informed E24 that an employee tested positive for corona after Christmas dinner on Friday 26 November. 120 people participated in the event, which took place at Frogner. Some of the participants had recently been to the Cape Town office.
Scatec's communications manager Stian Tvede Karlsen has stated that the company implemented a strict infection control regime at the party; only vaccinated had access, and everyone had to test negative in advance.
Facts about the omikron variant
The variant was first discovered in South Africa, which notified the WHO on 24 November. Since then, it has been proven in a number of countries around the world.
The WHO has classified the mutation as "worrying". The first two cases in Norway were confirmed on Wednesday 1 December in Øygarden municipality, west of Bergen.
FHI assumes that the variant may be more contagious, but that it is unlikely to cause more serious illness.
Norway and many other countries have introduced entry restrictions from a number of countries in southern Africa. Infected must be in isolation for seven days, and close contacts must be quarantined for ten days. This also applies to fully vaccinated.
Source: WHO, Government, NIPH, NTB
Infection control doctor Ravlo states that the city health service became aware of a possible omicron outbreak when a participant in the event, who had also been traveling in South Africa, tested positive for corona on Monday this week.
Then more and more partygoers tested positive. As omikron is believed to be a more contagious corona variant, originating in southern Africa, the city health service put two and two together and tested all of the participants. Now they are waiting for an answer as to whether it is an omicron.
- But if the sequencing shows that it is about omicron, we assume that the others are also infected with omicron, says Ravlo - and at the same time keeps the possibility open that it may be about other variants.
The facts appear to be that 120 staff attended a Christmas dinner on Friday 26th November 2021.
One person who had attended the Christmas dinner and who had also been travelling in South Africa tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday 29th November.
City authorities then tested the other attendees at the Christmas dinner.
Reportely 30-40 attendees tested positive for Covid-19.
The attendees reportedly were all vaccinated (undefined in the article) and had tested negative for Covid-19 (timing of test relative to the Christmas dinner wasn't stated).
If, as reported, 25-30% of attendees at the Christmas dinner have Covid-19 then two possibilities exist:
- This is a super-spreader event for B.1.167 (Delta)
- This demonstrates how readily B.1.1.529 (Omicron) transmits even in a reportedly vaccinated group.
If, as reported, the group were all vaccinated against Covid-19 a super-spreader event of B.1.617 (Delta) seems very unlikely.
If, and I stress if, one individual who had recently travelled to South Africa and who (presumably) had the B.1.1.529 variant transmitted the B.1.1.529 variant of SARS-CoV-2 to 25-30% of a group of vaccinated people in Norway, there must be a very significant degree of vaccine escape!
