London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2025

Covid: Scotland facing 'tsunami' of Omicron cases

Covid: Scotland facing 'tsunami' of Omicron cases

Scotland is facing a "tsunami" of Omicron cases, with the variant likely to replace Delta as the dominant form of the virus within days, Nicola Sturgeon has warned.

The first minister said the 110 cases that have been recorded in the country are only the "tip of the iceberg".

And she predicted that a new wave of the pandemic was about to begin.

She also announced changes to self-isolation guidelines, and urged people to cancel work Christmas parties.

Ms Sturgeon said that, from tomorrow, all household contacts of any Covid cases should isolate for 10 days, regardless of vaccination status and even if they initially get a negative PCR test.

Non-household contacts can leave isolation if they have had a negative PCR test and have had two vaccine doses.

The first minister said early action was needed, with Omicron cases rising "exponentially" in recent days, and that she could not rule out further measures having to be introduced.

She said cases of the new variant were doubling every two to three days - the fastest growth seen during the whole pandemic - which would potentially result in Omicron overtaking Delta by the beginning of next week.

The R number - essentially the rate at which the virus is transmitted - has been hovering at about one in Scotland recently, but is now expected to rise to "well over two and possibly closer to 3".

Scotland has recorded a further 5,018 cases of the virus in the past 24 hours - a sharp rise on the recent daily average of about 2,800 cases.

However, the number of people is hospital with the virus has fallen slightly to 573, with 40 patients in intensive care.


Scientists warned on Friday afternoon that two doses of a Covid vaccine are not enough to stop you catching the Omicron variant - although a third booster dose significantly increases protection to around 75%.

And vaccines are still likely to offer good protection against severe Covid that would need hospital treatment.

Ms Sturgeon said it was hoped - although not known - that Omicron may cause less severe illness on average than Delta, despite being much more transmittable.

But she said that even if this is true, the surge in cases that was now "virtually certain" would still result in a "massive" number of people needing hospital care.

And she said the numbers of people having to isolate after becoming infected, even mildly, would put a significant strain on the economy and public services.

She added: "It also means that the rapid rise in Omicron infections could put significant additional pressure on hospitals and other health and care services, close to the point in the winter when they are already likely to be at peak pressure."

ScotRail has already had to cancel 60 train services due to staff shortages as a result of Covid, while many staff at an accident and emergency unit in Lanarkshire are also having to isolate after attending a social event and becoming infected.

The first minister urged everyone to follow the existing Covid guidelines, and stressed that everyone who had been working from home at the start of the pandemic should be doing so again.


No new general Covid restrictions for Scotland were announced today but Nicola Sturgeon has made clear these cannot be ruled out.

The signs are that we may be headed towards some tightening.

The request to consider deferring Christmas parties and the change to self-isolation advice for household contacts of Covid cases both point that way.

The warning of a "tsunami" of omicron cases with the potential to put a big strain on the workforce, public services and in particular - the NHS - was an even clearer signal.

The first minister has already said an extension of the Covid certification scheme is one potential option.

The introduction of that approach in England is among the measures announced by Boris Johnson in his plan B this week.

His plan B is quite like Nicola Sturgeon's plan A. But as Omicron cases rise, governments across the UK will be considering what further action may be required.

Ms Sturgeon was speaking as the Scottish government published modelling which said infections could rise as high as 25,000 a day by 20 December in the worst case scenario.

The most-likely range of the worst-case scenario will see cases hit a little over 15,000 a day, while in the best-case scenario, cases will peak at just over 1,250.

It comes the day after Public Health Scotland urged people to cancel Christmas parties due to the rising number of Omicron cases.

Ms Sturgeon said she was focusing on work events in particular as they were resulting in rapid spread of the new variant which could pose a big risk to workplaces.


She said everyone should "be thinking a bit more carefully about unnecessary contacts, especially in crowded places", and said people should use "common sense" in deciding whether to meet up.

"My advice would be to consider deferring work Christmas events," she added.

"If they are small events that you wish to go ahead with, make sure you and everybody else in the group is testing beforehand."

'Really, really serious'


Scotland's National Clinical Director, Prof Jason Leitch, said incident teams around the country were finding evidence of big "attack rates" at larger work parties.

He told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime programme: "This wave of a fourth variant which is worse than the three preceding it is coming. And it is really, really serious.

"The attack rate - the number of people who get it from every index case in an environment when people are close together - appears to be high with Omicron.

"We are really worried about events we have seen where there are 100 people in a room, and more than half are testing positive after the event."

The hospitality sector has already reported a surge of last-minute cancellations since the advice against holding parties was issued.

The Scottish Chambers of Commerce said financial compensation must be made available to affected businesses immediately, adding: "We cannot see a repeat of March 2020 where the hospitality sector was essentially closed down without any financial support being put in place until weeks after the lockdown decision."


Nicola Sturgeon: "Omicron is going to very quickly overtake Delta as the dominant Covid strain in Scotland"


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×