MORE than 900 people in Scotland have now been tested for coronavirus with three positive results.
The first of the patients diagnosed – the Tayside resident notified on Sunday – was said to be “clinically well” but in isolation in hospital as a precaution.
In an update yesterday, the Scottish Government said a total of 915 tests had been carried out, part of a UK total of 13,911 with 51 positive results – up from 39 on Monday.
Two further people have now been diagnosed with the virus in Scotland, the Health Secretary has confirmed.
READ MORE: Coronavirus: Two more people in Scotland diagnosed with covid-19
The figures came as the First Minister said the Scottish Government had published a Scotland-specific approach to the ongoing outbreak, giving guidance on its resilience and response arrangements. It gives further detail on how the response will be coordinated should there be a sustained epidemic.
Nicola Sturgeon revealed the move as she announced publication of the four nations’ action plan setting out a collaborative approach to the outbreak.
She said “well-established” plans were being activated to tackle what was a “serious situation”.
“I know people are hearing scary figures and it is important to stress that they are worst case scenarios,” said Sturgeon.
“The Scottish Government and NHS Scotland are well-prepared to deal with a coronavirus outbreak.
“As well as the four nations’ Action Plan published today, we have also published tailored guidance for Scotland’s unique landscape.
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“The Action Plan and the detail of our additional resilience arrangements for Scotland set out very clearly what we know so far about coronavirus, the different phases of managing an infection of this nature, what each phase means and the actions that have been or could potentially be taken at each stage.
“Much of this planning is based on reasonable worst case scenarios which will be refined as our understanding of the virus develops, but it is vital that we are well equipped to deal with all possibilities as this outbreak grows globally.
“We will continue to work closely with the UK Government, Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive as part of a coordinated response to this virus.”
She added: “We’re not powerless in the face of this. So much of what we are doing and will continue to do is trying to mitigate and manage this so the impact on human health, the impact on our health service, on the economy and wider society is minimised as much as possible.
“What it may mean at a later stage is that some non-urgent activity in the NHS would be postponed in order to prioritise capacity for people who needed hospital treatment.”
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “We have a proven track record of dealing with challenging health issues and follow the highest safety standard possible to protect health and social care staff, patients and the public.
“The NHS has been specifically preparing for the possibility of further spread of coronavirus since it was first detected in Wuhan and today’s planning information outlines the processes and protections in place to ensure a coordinated response to this outbreak.”
READ MORE: A growing and mobile global population makes pandemics inevitable
The UK government, meanwhile, has warned that up to a fifth of the UK workforce could be off sick at the same time.
Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, said widespread transmission of the virus across the UK was becoming “more likely”.
Officials from the World Health Organisation (WHO) called on medical supply manufacturers to “urgently increase production” to meet global demand. Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said in Geneva: “Supplies are rapidly depleting. WHO estimates that each month 89 million medical masks will be required for the covid-19 response, 76 million examination gloves and 1.6 million goggles.”
Finance ministers from the G7 nations said they will use “all appropriate policy tools” to tackle the economic impact of the outbreak.
In a statement, they said: “Alongside strengthening efforts to expand health services, G7 finance ministers are ready to take actions, including fiscal measures where appropriate, to aid in the response to the virus and support the economy during this phase.”
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