The Scottish Government has confirmed that cases of the omicron variant have increased to 29.
Earlier in the week The First Minister confirmed that the first cases of the new variant appeared to trace from a private event on 20 November. But today she has confirmed that is no longer the case.
Ms Sturgeon said to MSPs on 30 November: “None of these individuals – as far as we know – has any recent travel history to or known links with others who have travelled to the countries in Southern Africa where the variant was originally detected.
“However, while the contact tracing exercise is still ongoing, health protection teams have established that all nine cases are linked.
“They all trace back to a single private event on 20 November.”
Today the number of omicron cases has risen to 29. The First Minister 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.
“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.”
Six cases are linked to the Steps concert which took place on 22 November, but so far none have been linked to a second concert on 23 November. The government has confirmed that no one from the concert needs to isolate, unless asked to by Test & Protect or if they develop symptoms.
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