SCOTLAND is likely to see its first coronavirus case “in the coming days”, health chiefs have said.
The update came after the first UK cases were confirmed yesterday. Two members of the same family who had been staying at a hotel in York tested positive.
Attempts were being made to trace those who has contact with the pair. It is understood they travelled to the UK from China recently. They were being treated at the Newcastle Royal Victoria Infirmary.
A plane carrying 83 Britons and 27 foreign nationals who were trapped in Wuhan, the city at the centre of the outbreak, landed in the UK last night. Passengers will be quarantined for two weeks in a hospital near Liverpool.
The death toll in China was 213 yesterday, with known cases rising from 7711 to 9962.
Scotland’s chief medical officer Dr Catherine Calderwood said: “All Scottish tests have so far been negative. However, it is highly likely that we will also see a positive case in Scotland in the coming days, and our health service is well prepared for this eventuality.
“Scotland’s NHS is well equipped to deal with infections of this kind and has been preparing for this possibility since the beginning of the outbreak in Wuhan.
“Our thoughts are with the people who have been diagnosed with coronavirus in England, and their family members, at what must be a very concerning time.
“The World Health Organisation has declared a public health emergency of international concern, and in response, the four UK chief medical officers changed the UK risk level from low to moderate.
“This does not mean the risk to individuals has increased or that any additional precautions are necessary. It is a reflection of the need for governments and the health service to escalate our preparation.”
Current advice is that travellers who develop relevant symptoms (fever, shortness of breath or cough) within 14 days of returning from mainland China should self-isolate at home and call NHS 24.
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