A further case of the Omicron covid variant has been recorded in Scotland, taking the total number of cases detected to 10.
The Scottish Government has this afternoon (Wednesday) announced the tenth case of the variant, which first originated in the south of Africa at the end of October.
Providing an update in the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday, Nicola Sturgeon advised the cases identified in the country were all linked to a private event.
According to the World Health Organisation, Omicron has been detected in 23 countries across the world.
On Tuesday, the First Minister said: "We have preliminary information on all nine cases however, health protection teams are continuing their investigations
"None of the people who have tested positive have so far required hospital care.
"All nine were tested on and around November 23 and because they had tested positive they have all been self-isolating."
Meanwhile, the latest National Records of Scotland statistics, published today, show a total of 97 coronavirus-linked deaths were recorded in the country in the week to November 28.
This is an increase of one on the previous week and takes the total number of people in Scotland who have died with confirmed or suspected coronavirus to 12,127, according to National Records of Scotland (NRS) data.
Of the latest deaths, 18 were people aged under 65, 34 were aged 65-74 and 45 were 75 or older.
Fife was the council area with the highest number of deaths at 11, followed by Glasgow with 10 and South Lanarkshire with eight.
The majority of the deaths - 82 - occurred in hospital, with nine at home or in a non-institutional setting and six in care homes.
The statistics are published weekly and cover all deaths registered in Scotland where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
They differ from the lab-confirmed coronavirus deaths announced daily by the Scottish Government because the NRS figures include suspected or probable cases of Covid-19.
Pete Whitehouse, NRS statistical services director, said: "The number of deaths from all causes registered in Scotland in this week was 1,270, which is 140, or 12%, more than the five-year average."
Among the higher than average deaths in the week to November 28 were those from cancer and circulatory causes, which each accounted for 24 more than five-year-average.
