A FURTHER three cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus have been confirmed in Scotland, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.
A further seven have been confirmed in England, taking the total to 29. Overall there are now 13 recorded cases in Scotland.
Earlier today the 10th case was confirmed.
The 10th case, found in Glasgow, has no direct link to the previous nine, which were connected to one event, the Scottish Government said.
Authorities said the nine cases across Lanarkshire area and Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) identified earlier in the week were connected to an event on November 20.
It is not yet known where the three further cases confirmed on December 2 are located.
In England, cases have been identified in the East Midlands, East of England, London, South East and North West.
Announcing the news, Dr Jenny Harries, chief executive of UKHSA, said: “We are continuing our efforts to understand the effect of this variant on transmissibility, severe disease, mortality, antibody response and vaccine efficacy.
“Vaccination is critical to help us bolster our defences against this new variant – please get your first, second, third or booster jab without delay.
READ MORE: Covid in Scotland: 27 deaths and more than 3000 cases recorded
“A booster dose for everyone over 18 years is now recommended and will be available at a minimum of 3 months from your last primary course jab. Please take up this offer as soon as you are eligible to protect yourself, your families and your communities.
“Please make sure to wear a mask in line with Government guidance, including on public transport and in shops, to help break the chains of transmission and slow the spread of this new variant.
“It is very likely that we will find more cases over the coming days as we are seeing in other countries globally and as we increase case detection through focused contact tracing. That’s why it’s critical that anyone with Covid-19 symptoms isolates and gets a PCR test immediately.”
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