Nicola Sturgeon held an emergency Covid briefing today at lunchtime as Omicron cases around the UK continue to spiral. 

Joined by chief medical officer Dr Gregor Smith, the first minister provided an update on the current situation in Scotland, which she admitted yesterday made her "profoundly concerned". 

Today's announcement marked her third Covid update of the week, having briefed Parliament on Tuesday and then in an unscheduled speech on Thursday. 

Since Tuesday, ministers have been warning that further measures could be on the cards in order to prevent overwhelming the NHS, with 5,951 new cases recorded on Thursday. 

However, new restrictions have not so far been announced. 

Here are the key points from Nicola Sturgeon's Covid update today...

1. In run up to Christmas, "stay at home"

Nicola Sturgeon asked the public to stay at home as much as possible in the run up to Christmas. 

2. Omicron is dominant Covid strain in Scotland

Omicron has now officially replaced Delta as the dominant strain in Scotland, the first minister confirmed today. 

As of 5pm on Thursday, there were 696 confirmed cases of Omicron.

However, this very significantly under estimates the actual number of Omicron cases in Scotland.

3. Turn around of tests may be slightly slower due to high volumes 

The number of Covid cases reported today may be slightly lower today due to delays with turning round the results. 

4. Hospital admissions rising 

The hospital admissions are beginning to rise in Scotland. 

In the week up to December 13, hospitalisations were up slightly in comparison to previous weeks. 

The first minister said: "Total hospital admissions in Scotland in the week up to 13th December were slightly higher than in the week previous - so we are already starting to see an increase as a result of the relatively moderate rise in cases seen in previous weeks."

5. Must slow spread of Covid to protect economy 

The first minister said she understands that the measures they are asking people to abide by, such as limiting socialising, is hitting sectors such as hospitality very hard. 

She announced today that £66 million of the £100 million previously announced by the Scottih government would go to the hospitality industry, while the remaining £44 million would be shared between the arts, cutlure and tourism sectors. 

She added: "We are working with councils, enterprise agencies and others to ensure businesses get this money as soon as possible. Those who have previously received support will be contacted directly."

6. Nicola Sturgeon meeting Boris Johnson today

Nicola Sturgeon is speaking to Boris Johnson today regarding more money for the devolved governments. 

The first minister said: "In my view, business now needs the type and scale of financial support that was available earlier in the pandemic.

"And the reality is that can only come from the UK Government - because it has borrowing powers that the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish governments simply do not have.

"I will press this point with the Prime Minister when I speak to him later today."

7. Get vaccinated, test regularly, stay at home as much as possible

Get vaccinated, test regularly and stay at home as much as possible was the overarching message for the first minister's update today.

She once again asked people to "pull together and support each other" as much as we can.