Nicola Sturgeon today delivered a stark assessment on the state of the coronavirus pandemic in Scotland amid the growing threat of the Omicron variant.
The First Minister called an emergency press briefing to ‘level with’ Scots amid a surge in case numbers over the past day.
It was feared the SNP leader was going to announce a raft of new restrictions in the run up to Christmas - but just one change was made to current Covid rules.
Here are eight key points that Sturgeon covered during her press briefing this afternoon.
New restrictions could be enforced in the future
No major changes to the rules were announced by Nicola Sturgeon - but the First Minister said she could not rule out any further measures being implemented in the coming weeks.
Sturgeon said she understood the potential financial impacts that restrictions could have on vast swathes of the economy - but added that failure to act in the face of the growing virus threat could have an ‘uncontrolled’ impact on businesses.
The First Minister said she is looking for help from the UK Government to help deal with the financial burden restrictions could have.
It was also confirmed the Scottish Government is once again seeking to discuss matters urgently with all of the devolved administrations to take a four-nations approach in tackling the Omicron threat.
Changes to self-isolation rules
Nicola Sturgeon announced changes to the self-isolation rules as a precautionary measure amid threat posted by the new variant.
From tomorrow, all household contacts of any confirmed case of Covid should self-isolate for 10 days - regardless of vaccination status or PCR.
Non-household contacts should also isolate, but will be able to leave quarantine if they receive a negative PCR test and they are double vaccinated.
'Tsunami of infection' warning
Nicola Sturgeon was stark in her assessment on the state of the pandemic in Scotland at this present time.
The latest Scottish Government data revealed that 5,018 new cases of Covid had been identified in the last 24 hours - which is a significant increase from the daily figure of 3,196 reported yesterday.
But the number of people requiring hospital treatment from Covid had dropped by five overnight and there was an increase of one needing intensive care.
However, Sturgeon warned of the danger that Scotland could see ‘tsunami of infection ’ and added she was ‘virtually certain’ Scotland is the middle of a surge in cases.
A report released prior to the First Minister’s press conference showed that daily infections could rise to as high as 25,000 in just ten days.
Omicron variant in Scotland
Omicron is believed to be the driving force behind the recent surge - and the early evidence on the variant in Scotland so far looks bleak.
Nicola Sturgeon said that 110 confirmed cases of Omicron have been recorded in Scotland as of 5pm yesterday.
But, it is feared this figure could be much higher and it is said that the spread of the variant could be rising ‘exponentially’.
The doubling time of the variant is said to be somewhere between two and three days, but closer to two.
It is believed Omicron could overtake Delta within days or by sometime next week, judging by current projections.
Sturgeon said the Omicron R number, which is the rate of reproduction of the virus, could ‘possibly be closer to 3’. She added the general R number for Covid could rise above two if Omicron does become the dominant strain of the virus.
There is early evidence to suggest the variant could evade the protections given by the vaccine ‘to some extent’.
But the First Minister assured Scots that vaccines will ‘still help us’ and they will not become completely ‘ineffective’ in the face of Omicron.
She also stated there is no evidence to support whether or not the variant led to more mild or severe infection.
But Sturgeon warned more mild cases could still lead to hospitals becoming overwhelmed with Covid patients.
Disruption to services due to Covid
The First Minister also revealed the recent surge in cases is having an impact on Scotland’s vital services.
Sturgeon confirmed that 60 ScotRail services have been cancelled today due to staff shortages - which are believed to be linked to Covid.
She also mentioned a significant number of A&E staff at hospital in Lanarkshire are currently isolating after ‘attending a social event’.
Scots should defer Christmas parties
The First Minister said she agrees with the Public Health Scotland advice, which has called for Scots to postpone their Christmas parties amid the Omicron danger.
She said festive social gatherings could become ‘super spreaders’ and that Scots should think carefully about meeting with others over the coming weeks.
Sturgeon once again repeated the financial impact that this advice could have on businesses and said that she is ‘pressing’ the UK Government for more financial support.
Vaccine update
There was some good news, as Nicola Sturgeon revealed that more than two million Scots have now received their booster vaccination.
The First Minister also said that the country is in a ‘better place’ than last year thanks to the vaccination rollout.
Rule compliance plea
Sturgeon pleaded with Scots to continue following the remaining Covid measures that currently remain in place.
The First Minister also repeated the point that Scots should ‘test regularly’, especially before meeting with others in the lead up to Christmas.
