At present the dominant covid variant in Scotland is the 'stealth omicron' strain which comes from its parent, omicron.
The so-called 'stealth' variant is believed to be significantly more transmissible than the original, however Nicola Sturgeon has reassured the public that it thankfully does not cause a "more severe illness".
Speaking at the Scottish Parliament she told MSPs: "The increase in cases over the past three weeks has been driven by the BA.2 sub lineage of the omicron variant which is estimated to be significantly more transmissible - with a growth rate since mid-February perhaps 80% greater than original omicron.
