At least 17 people who caught Covid-19 after a Christmas party with more than 100 guests in Oslo last week are suspected of having the Omicron variant, AFP quoted officials as saying.

The number is likely to grow as sequencing is carried out on other positive tests from partygoers.

“So far, 60 people have tested positive [for Covid-19] with PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests, and four with [rapid] antigen tests,” the city of Oslo said in a statement.

“Seventeen are probably Omicron, but that has yet to be confirmed. So far, one case is confirmed to be Omicron after sequencing.”