Two cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant have been identified in the UK.
Scientists have raised the alarm over the strain, which is believed to be more transmissible than previous versions of Covid-19.
There are also fears that the variant could escape some of the protections given by the vaccines.
The Scottish Government yesterday announced new restrictions on international travel as a result of the discovery of cases.
All international travellers will be required to take a PCR test before entering Scotland and must self-isolate until they have received a negative result.
Scottish Health Secretary Humza Yousaf has urged Scots to ‘redouble their efforts’ in a bid to prevent the spread of the mutant strain.
Here is what we know about Omicron so far.
Origin
The B.1.1.529 variant was first reported from South Africa on November 24. Scientists were able to detect the strain from a sample collected on November 9.
Two days later, the World Health Organisation (WHO) branded the strain as a ‘variant of concern’ and named it Omicron.
Other variants of concern include Alpha, Beta and Delta - the last of which has become the dominant strain in Scotland over the past few months.
Impact on infections
Experts say that Omicron has a ‘large number’ of mutations, with some said to be of particular concern.
Early evidence has appeared to suggest that there is an increased risk of reinfection with this variant.
WHO reports that Omicron may have a ‘growth advantage’ following a spike in infections across a majority of regions in South Africa.
Yesterday, South Africa reported 3,220 new cases of Covid, which is a sharp increase from a daily figure of 264 new cases recorded on November 14.
The strain has also spread to a number of countries in southern Africa and Europe - including the two reported in the UK.
Vaccine effectiveness
So far, there is no definitive evidence to suggest that Omicron is having an impact on the effectiveness of the approved vaccines.
Scientists in South Africa say that the mutation profile of the variant does raise concerns.
Pfizer and BioNTech said that they expect to be able to “develop and produce a tailor-made vaccine against that variant in approximately 100 days, subject to regulatory approval”.
Moderna has also said that it has advanced a “comprehensive strategy to anticipate new variants of concern” since early 2021 - which includes three levels of response if the immunity given by the vaccine drops.
Symptoms
There has so far been no evidence to suggest that the symptoms of this new variant are any different to the ones we have previously seen.
Dr Angelique Coetzee, the South African doctor who alerted health officials to the potential new strain, said that patients displayed ‘unusual but mild’ symptoms.
The patients did not report a loss of taste or smell - both of which are part of the globally recognised symptoms of coronavirus.
Instead, they reportedly suffered from the likes of intense fatigue and a six-year-old child had a high pulse rate.
“Their symptoms were so different and so mild from those I had treated before”, Dr Coetzee said.
Cases in Scotland
There are so far no confirmed cases of the Omicron variant in Scotland.
The UK Government yesterday announced that two cases of the mutant Covid strain had been found in England.
UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid said that surge testing is being carried out in two English cities as a result.
Humza Yousaf announced new restrictions on international travel in a statement on Saturday.
All passengers will be required to take a PCR test on their second day of arrival in Scotland. Travellers will have to self-isolate until they receive a negative result.
The Scottish Health Secretary pleaded with Scots not to ‘drop their guard’ in sticking with the remaining Covid restrictions.
