With Omicron Covid-19 cases continuing to cause concern in Scotland, there are a number key pieces of advice being issued.
Scotland has now identified 109 cases of the new strain as the country begins to worry about reinforcement of restrictions.
As the festive period arises, Public Health Scotland is urging Scots to call off Christmas parties in a bid to limit the risk of spreading the new variant.
Scientists continue to be unaware of the issues caused by Omicron - from transmissibility to evasion of immunity.
Unfortunately, this has thrown Scotland, along with much of the planet, back into a period of uncertainty when it comes to the Covid situation.
From Nicola Sturgeon's scheduled announcements to the different symptoms of the new variant, here is everything you need to know.
Nicola Sturgeon to hold covid update as fears grow over Omicron variant in Scotland
Nicola Sturgeon is set to hold a coronavirus press conference on Friday as cases of the Omicron variant continue to rise across Scotland.
The First Minister is expected to address the nation on the latest situation regarding the pandemic from St Andrew's House in Edinburgh.
Sturgeon issued an update to the Scottish Parliament earlier this week where she revealed that cases of the new strain.
However, the First Minister is again expected to make an announcement as cases continue to rise.
Scots warned not to have Christmas parties
Scots have been urged to postpone Christmas parties this year due to a rising number of Omicron cases.
Public Health Scotland (PHS) warned that a number of infections have been linked to festive parties so far this year.
Today, the Scottish Government confirmed that there have been 109 confirmed cases of the new variant found in Scotland.
The figure represents a more than a tenfold increase compared to last week's numbers.
Experts say that given the recent number of Omicron cases, Scots should consider ‘deferring’ any winter parties to decrease risks while scientists try to learn more about the variant.
One new Omicron case in Scotland as 16 deaths recorded
Scotland has recorded one new case of the Omicron coronavirus variant in the past 24 hours, taking the overall number to 109.
However, the Scottish Government warned this was a "relatively lower number of confirmed cases" due to a change in reporting which comes with a two-day lag due to "additional quality control and processing".
The Government also warned of issues over the daily overall case numbers due to processing issues at labs, resulting in delays between specimens being taken and results received and reported.
The figures published by the Scottish Government show there were 16 coronavirus deaths and 3,196 cases recorded in the past 24 hours.
The Covid-19 death toll in Scotland under the daily measure - of people who first tested positive for the virus within the previous 28 days - now stands at 9,688.
Omicron side effects as they may be different to other strains
The World Health Organisation (WHO) designated the new B.1.1.529 strain - better know as Omicron - a 'variant of concern' on November 26.
There are 50 genetic mutations within the new variant, with over 30 of them being spike protein mutations.
Never-before-seen mutations are the reason scientists have expressed worry over the variants as well as its transmissibility and ability to evade immunity provided by vaccination and previous infection.
There have also been a number of different symptoms reported in patients infected with the new strain.
These include:
- Extreme tiredness
- Mild muscle aches
- A scratchy throat
- A dry cough
However, in comparison to previous strains - particularly Delta - it is thought that Omicron Covid is less severe.
The UK is rolling out a pill to tackle Covid symptoms
The UK is set to roll out the first pill that can be taken at home to tackle symptoms of Covid-19.
The antiviral Molnupiravir has been shown to halve patients’ risk of death and it is hoped it will reduce pressure on the NHS this winter.
Those to get the drug will be over-50s and people who have an underlying health condition who agree to do so as part of a nationwide NHS clinical trial.
The study run by Oxford University is recruiting around 10,000 UK patients at risk of serious illness from Covid-19 who receive a positive PCR test.
Those at highest risk who test positive for the virus - such as immunocompromised cancer patients or those with Down’s syndrome - will also be able to access Molnupiravir or the novel monoclonal antibody drug Ronapreve, outside of the study from December 16.
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