Is Omicron in Edinburgh? Omicron cases in Scotland: Interactive map shows where new variant has been found

Nine of the UK’s 22 confirmed cases of Omicron have been found in Scotland.

The latest variant, Omicron, was labelled a variant of concern by the World Health Organisation (WHO) last week.

Many European countries moved swiftly to shut down their borders to avoid the new strain of Covid-19 reaching the continent, but cases of Omicron were found in Belgium at first and then several other countries.

The first cases were reported in the UK on November 27th, and there are now 22 confirmed cases across the four nations, with nine in Scotland.

All of the Scottish cases of Omicron are thought to be linked to community transmissions. Photo: Golib / Canva Pro.

Here’s all you need to know about where the Omicron cases are in Scotland and if any have been found in Edinburgh, as well as an interactive map to illustrate them.

Where are the Omicron cases in the UK?

All nine of the Scottish cases have been connected to a single private event, according to information from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

"We fully expect that there will be more cases identified over the coming days that are also linked to this event," Ms Sturgeon went on to say.

Five of the nine confirmed Scottish cases are in Lanarkshire and the other four are in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area.

So far, no confirmed cases have been found in Edinburgh. However, the First Minister emphasised that the government expects more cases of Omicron to be found in Scotland.

The Scottish cases are thought to have been transmitted by community transmissions of the variant in Scotland, as opposed to any travel or connection with overseas cases.

"The fact that all known cases are so far linked to a single event suggests that [community transmission] may still be limited," the First Minister stated. "Indeed, there is so far nothing in the wider look back exercise that Public Health Scotland has undertaken to suggest that community transmission of the new variant is either sustained or widespread."

Ms Sturgeon also emphasised that there is no indication that the transmission of the variant is linked to COP26, with the timing of the positive cases making this “improbable”.

At this time, the Scottish government has not introduced new measures in Scotland.

"While so much about this new variant is so far unknown, it is important that we act on a highly precautionary basis,” Mrs Sturgeon said.

She went on to ask people to step up existing precautionary measures, including wearing face coverings, working from home, testing regularly, and getting vaccinated.