The number of confirmed Omicron Covid cases has jumped to 29 as Nicola Sturgeon warns the variant is now spreading fast in the community.
The First Minister says cases of the little-understood strain will likely continue to rise in the coming days and the outbreak is no longer linked to single private event on November 20.
Many of the new cases are now being linked to a Steps concert at the Hydro two days later.
Cases likely to rise quickly
Ms Sturgeon said the latest news confirms the government’s view that there is now community transmission within Scotland.
She said: “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.”
There are currently six Omicron cases linked to the concert on November 22 while no cases have so far been linked to another concert the next night.
Contact tracing underway
There is now a major contact tracing effort underway to find those who may have come into contact with the Omicron variant.
The government says nobody who attended the concert needs to isolate, unless asked to by Test & Protect or if they develop symptoms.
It’s still not known how much of a threat the heavily-mutated strain is, however, some scientists have warned it could bypass vaccines currently available.
Ms Sturgeon previously said the arrival of Omicron in Scotland could be one of the biggest challenges facing the country for some time.