Covid in Scotland: Half of Omicron cases in people aged 20 to 39

Nearly half of all confirmed cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus in Scotland are in the 20-39 age group, official figures show.

A total of 389 confirmed or possible cases have now been reported, with 108 cases having been confirmed between 1 November and 8 December.

Of those, 48% were aged 20 to 39 - compared with 25% of all cases in that age group.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) said it was not aware of any hospitalisations.

Positive tests have been reported in nine of Scotland's 14 health boards.

PHS said there had been early detection of a large number of cases at events which typically attract younger people.

These included a concert by the pop band Steps at Glasgow's Hydro venue on 22 November which has been linked to six of the cases.

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The emergence of the new variant has led to fears of widespread community transmission.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Tuesday that she expected numbers to go up, and for the variant to "account for a rising share of overall cases".

She said the emergence of Omicron was a "significant challenge for all of us".

Early data has suggested that the variant is more transmissible than the currently dominant Delta, Ms Sturgeon added, and "perhaps significantly so".

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said "key questions" still remained about the new strain.

Speaking a year on from the first Covid vaccination in Scotland, he told the BBC: "We still need to find answers about what does it mean for severity of illness and what does it mean about transmissibility?

"We still don't know about vaccine escape and the effect of the vaccine. What we do know is that it is better to be vaccinated than not."

Meanwhile, the deputy first minister has said Scotland could return to tougher restrictions used in the past if the Omicron variant spreads out of control.

John Swinney told the BBC the first minister had requested financial assistance from the UK government last week in case businesses had to close.

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