The Omicron variant could become the dominant strain in Scotland, it has been warned.
The Scottish Government today released a report on what they know about the strain so far, and said that, based on the data, it is "highly probable that Omicron will outcompete Delta and become the dominant variant within Scotland very quickly".
The variant is now “transmitting rapidly” in Scotland, with “strong evidence that community transmission is widespread”, the paper has concluded.
As of December 9, 13.3% of positive Covid tests in Scotland contained indications of the Omicron variant through the "S-gene dropout".
They say there is a potential to cause high case numbers.
Currently, there are 109 confirmed cases in Scotland, but the evidence paper suggests there could be as many as 1,095, made up of the confirmed cases as well as 48 highly probable, and 938 possible cases.
Glasgow could have more than 400 cases, while areas like Orkney and Shetland continue to have none. The Western Islands, according to the paper, may have at least one case.
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