Covid cases in Scotland have taken a spike in recent days as the country moves to living with the virus.
Data published by the Scottish Government shows daily case numbers exceed 10,000 over the past four days.
The most recent daily statistics saw health officials record 13,220 cases of the virus in the last 24 hours from today.
And the number of people in hospital with the virus has also reached its highest since February last year.
Scottish Health Secretary Humza Yousaf expressed his concerns on the recent uptick of Covid cases earlier this week.
He tweeted on Wednesday: "With a rise in cases we have also seen a steady rise in Covid hospital occupancy. Over the last week there has been a 23% rise (1509 people with Covid in our hospitals).
“Rising numbers in our hospitals and community (which contributes to Covid-related staff absences) all impact our NHS recovery."
And he added: “Important we do not let our guard down and we continue to abide by remaining guidance and regulations that help to keep us safe.
“Vaccinations have been a game-changer, a reminder it is not too late to get your first, second or booster dose if eligible.”
There are also growing concerns over the so-called ‘stealth Omicron’ variant, which is also known as BA.2.
Experts at the Zoe Covid Study app say that the number of infections caused by the strain are “doubling” in the UK every few days.
It is believed BA.2 is more transmissible than the original Omicron variant, known as BA.1.
Scientists have also discovered cases of the so-called ‘Deltacron’ variant in France, the Netherlands and Denmark.
The virus strain is said to combine elements of the Delta variant with that of Omicron.
World Health Organisation (WHO) experts are said to tracking and discussing the variant following research into the strain.
What are the symptoms of stealth Omicron and Deltacron?
The official three symptoms of Covid have not changed in light of the emergence of Omicron and Deltacron.
A fever, a new and continuous cough and a loss of taste or smell are still the official symptoms of Covid listed on the NHS Scotland website.
But there have been claims that the symptoms differ when someone becomes infected with Omicron.
Research carried out by the Zoe Covid Study found that people experienced more cold and flu-like symptoms when Omicron first emerged in the UK late last year.
The top five symptoms identified included a runny nose, headache, fatigue, sneezing and a sore throat.
Scientists are also trying to discover the impacts that BA.2 - or stealth Omicron - has on hospitalisations and deaths.
So far, it is claimed that the variant has similar properties to Omicron in that it is highly transmissible and could escape some immune protection.
Experts have described BA.2 as a 'slightly different flavour of Omicron'.
Early evidence out of Denmark, which saw BA.2 quickly take over at the start of this year, appears promising.
Professor Tim Spector, lead scientist at the Zoe Covid Study, said: “It can be concerning when something new comes along and we don’t know much about it.
“However, there’s some good news from Denmark, where the BA.2 subtype of Omicron hasn’t changed hospital admission rates. I don’t think we’re seeing more death or more severe disease.”
In terms of Deltacron, very little is known about the virus strain since full genomic sequencing was submitted by virologists in France earlier this week.
Maria van Kerkhove, WHO’s Covid technical lead, said that the mutation was “to be expected, especially with the intense circulation of Omicron and Delta”.
