Los Angeles, Dec 19 : Brian May, the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen, has tested positive for Covid-19. He shared the news on Instagram: "Yep. The shocking day finally came for me. The dreaded double red line. And yes - definitely NO sympathy please - it has been a truly horrible few days, but I'm OK." "And I will tell the tale. PLEASE take extra care out there, good folks. This thing is incredibly transmissible. You really do NOT want it messing up YOUR Christmas. With love - Bri." He also posted a photo of his test result, variety.com reported. The news comes as the number of Covid cases continue to rise. The new variant of the virus, Omicron, continues to push the daily caseload to a new pandemic record. On Thursday, more than 88,376 Covid cases were confirmed in the UK, with over 11,000 cases of Omicron identified. Yet, without official government guidance asking businesses to close, cinemas and live theaters remain open and, as was the case throughout much of the pandemic, production of movies and television shows also continue following Covid safety protocols. Brian May co-founded Queen with lead singer Freddie Mercury and drummer Roger Taylor, and helped write some of their most anthemic songs including 'We will rock you' 'Hammer to Fall', 'Who Wants to Live Forever' and 'I Want It All'. /IANS