'Community transmission' of Omicron variant in Scotland
3 December 2021, 16:19 | Updated: 7 June 2023, 08:56
Community transmission of the Omicron variant is now taking place in Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed.
Scotland now has a total of 29 Omicron cases - with 16 being reported in the last 24 hours.
Prior to Friday, the latest count on Omicron Covid variant was 13, with seven of them in Lanarkshire. The first six cases were all linked to a “single event” on November 20.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “The number of Omicron cases now being reported in Scotland is rising, and cases are no longer all linked to a single event, but to several different sources including a Steps concert at the Hydro on 22 November.
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“This confirms our view that there is now community transmission of this variant within Scotland. Given the nature of transmission we would expect to see cases rise - perhaps significantly - in the days ahead.
“However, health protection teams are continuing work through contact tracing, isolation and testing to slow the spread as far as possible while we learn more about the new variant’s impact. Ministers are also keeping the situation under daily review.”
According to the Scottish Government no cases have been identified from a second Steps concert the following night, and risk to those who attended the concert is low.
Concert-goers are being told they don’t need to isolate, unless asked to by Test & Protect or if they develop symptoms.
The government has said that vaccination was the “most important line of defence” and urged people to comply “rigorously” with all the protections currently in place to stem transmission.
An SEC spokesperson confirmed that the Steps gig had been subject to an Omicron scare.
The spokesperson said all protocols were followed on the night of the gig and with Test & Protect in the aftermath.
The spokesperson said: “As with any event taking place at the Scottish Event Campus, the most up to date public health guidance relating to COVID-19 was followed on the evening of November 22.
"We will continue to work closely with Test & Protect colleagues to provide them with any information they require.”
