Nicola Sturgeon: Omicron will be dominant strain from Friday

The Omicron variant will become the dominant strain of Covid-19 in Scotland by Friday, Nicola Sturgeon has said.

The first minister said 45% of the 5,951 coronavirus cases reported on Thursday were suspected to be the new variant.

She said Omicron would likely overtake Delta as the dominant strain of the virus by Friday, which would "drive an even more rapid increase in cases".

Addressing MSPs at the Scottish Parliament, she said Omicron is spreading "exceptionally fast".

Ms Sturgeon urged people to reduce contact with other households "as much as you possibly can".