Coronavirus in Scotland: Nicola Sturgeon says health experts are investigating ‘increased risk of hospitalisation’ from new Covid-19 variant

Public Health Scotland is investigating whether a new strain of coronavirus carries an increased risk of hospitalisation, as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon warned that the NHS still faced “severe” pressure from the pandemic.

Addressing MSPs on Tuesday afternoon, Ms Sturgeon said the new variant of Covid-19, which was first identified in the southeast of England in December 2020, now accounts for around 73 per cent of all cases of the virus in Scotland.

She advised Holyrood that Public Health Scotland was examining evidence that suggests the variant carries an increased risk of hospitalisation for those it infects.

But, she added, there was “no statistically significant evidence” that the new variant is more deadly than older strains.

Addressing MSPs on Tuesday afternoon, Ms Sturgeon said the new variant of Covid-19, which was first identified in the southeast of England in December 2020, now accounts for around 73 per cent of all cases of the virus in Scotland. (Photo by Russell Cheyne - Pool/Getty Images)

“Public Health Scotland is continuing to analyse the evidence on both of these points and we will keep Parliament's updated,” she told MSPs.

The news came as Ms Sturgeon warned that NHS Scotland still faced “severe” pressure from new cases of the virus, despite Covid-19 hospitalisations peaking on January 12.

She added that the number of infected patients being treated in Scotland’s hospitals was still 30 per cent above the peak of the first wave in April 2020.

“They have now stabilised and are starting to reduce, albeit slowly,” she said, adding that ICU numbers “are more volatile, but they did not reach the peak of the first wave.”

Ms Sturgeon warned that NHS Scotland still faced “severe” pressure from new cases of the virus, despite Covid-19 hospitalisations peaking on January 12. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP)

Ms Sturgeon also revealed that there have been just five confirmed cases of a different strain of coronavirus first identified in South Africa.

She told MSPs that all five cases had links to international travel, and that there was “no evidence so far of community transmission of that variant.”

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