The Scottish Government has warned not to have Christmas parties over fears about rising Omicron cases. The government

today confirmed that the number of people infected with the new Covid variant has risen to 109 – which is more than a tenfold increase compared to last week’s figures.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) have said that a number of these infections have been linked to festive parties.

Experts say that given the recent number of Omicron cases, Scots should consider ‘deferring’ any winter parties while scientists try to learn more about the variant.

Dr Nick Phin, Director of Public Health Science and Medical Director at PHS, said: “There is much that we still need to learn about Omicron, but early evidence suggests that this new Covid variant is much more transmissible. The impact of this transmissibility has been seen in recent weeks, with a number of Omicron outbreaks linked to parties.

“We still need to learn more about the severity of disease caused by Omicron and the effectiveness of vaccines, but there are important things that we can do to help protect ourselves and our families now. To help minimise the further spread of Covid-19, and Omicron in particular, I would strongly urge people to defer their Christmas parties to another time.

“I appreciate that everyone is keen to celebrate this festive season, particularly after the pressures of the last twenty months, but by postponing some plans we can all do our bit to protect ourselves and our loved ones,” he said.

“To help minimise the further spread of COVID-19, and Omicron, in particular, I would strongly urge people to defer their Christmas parties to another time.”

He went on to advise people to follow other measures to help slow the spread, including getting a booster jab, taking a COVID test before socialising with other households, and meeting outside.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that Omicron contains a ‘large number’ of mutations and is said to have caused a surge in Covid case numbers in South Africa.

Health officials are also investigating any potential impact that the variant could have on vaccines.

The strain is also causing concern in Scotland after a weekly report published by Public Health Scotland suggested that suspected and confirmed cases of Omicron could be as high as 389.

And there are fears that this figure could increase exponentially as more Scots socialise with one another indoors during the festive period.

Nicola Sturgeon is expected to hold a coronavirus press briefing on Friday, but this is yet to be confirmed by the Scottish Government.

The World Health Organisation said that there are no reported deaths so far from the new COVID-19 variant.