Tag: testing

New Covid testing site opened

The UK Government yesterday opened a new walk-through coronavirus testing centre at Thimblerow Car Park (PH1 5QT), in Perth. The centre is easily accessible for people without a car.

The new facility is being provided by the UK Government as part of a UK-wide drive to continue to improve the accessibility of coronavirus testing for local communities. It is operated by Mitie on behalf of the UK Government.

The test centre is part of the largest network of diagnostic testing facilities created in British history. In Scotland, this comprises of 6 drive through sites, 13 walk through sites, 21 mobile units, plus the Glasgow Lighthouse Lab which is working round the clock to process samples.

A new Scottish megalab has also been announced – this will provide capacity to process an extra 300,000 tests a day, create thousands of jobs and play a key part of the UK’s national infrastructure response.

In Scotland, the UK Government is providing all Covid testing and test processing outside of the NHS. Around two thirds of all daily tests are provided by the UK Government, in support of Scotland’s health services.

Tests must be booked in advance at NHS Inform or by calling 0800 028 2816. People should only book at test if they have coronavirus symptoms (a high temperature, a new and continuous cough, or a loss or change to their sense of smell or taste).

Health Minister Lord Bethell said: “To respond to the coronavirus, we have built a major testing and tracing system from scratch. We are constantly working to expand and improve it with new technologies and innovations so everyone with symptoms can get a test.

“New walk-in sites like this one makes it even easier to get a test no matter where you live. If you have symptoms of coronavirus, I urge you to book a test today and follow the advice of NHS Test and Protect if you are contacted to protect others and stop the spread of the virus.”

Baroness Dido Harding, Interim Executive Chair of the National Institute for Health Protection, said: “Walk through sites offer communities better access to coronavirus testing, so everyone with symptoms can get a test.

“This new site is part of our ongoing work to expand our testing network across the UK which is now has the capacity to process more than 500,000 tests a day. We will continue to expand capacity to improve test turnaround times and push forward testing innovations to make sure anyone who needs a test can get one.

Please book a test if you have coronavirus symptoms: a new continuous cough, a high temperature and a loss or change in sense of smell or taste, and follow the advice of NHS Test and Protect if you are contacted.”

UK Government Minister for Scotland, Iain Stewart, said: The UK Government is helping all parts of the UK fight the coronavirus pandemic.

“Testing is vital, helping to manage local outbreaks and protecting people’s livelihoods. The UK Government is providing the bulk of Covid testing in Scotland, and this new walk-through centre is just the latest in our extensive testing network.

“We are pleased to be working with local and commercial partners. These sites are not possible without the hard work of many people. I would like to thank everyone involved for their incredible efforts for the good of the country at this difficult time.”

Dr Emma Fletcher, Director of Public Health for NHS Tayside said: “This new walk through testing centre is very welcome and provides an additional opportunity for people to access testing in the Tayside area.

“People are reminded that if they show any symptoms of COVID-19 they should isolate, along with their household, and seek testing immediately.

Simon Venn, Mitie Chief Government & Strategy Officer, said: Our priority during the pandemic is to support the nation’s efforts to fight COVID-19 and help keep the country running.

“Testing is a critical part of the UK’s strategy to combat coronavirus and we’re proud to support the UK Government with this vital task. A big thank you to all the NHS staff, Mitie employees and other frontline heroes in Perth, who are working tirelessly to keep us all safe.”

Drive-through testing sites

Testing under the UK programme in Scotland is currently conducted in drive-through sites operating at:

  • Glasgow Airport
  • Edinburgh Airport
  • Aberdeen Airport
  • Prestwick Airport
  • Inverness – University of the Highlands and Islands campus
  • Dundee – Dudhope Castle

There are also a number of mobile testing units which will be located in towns across Scotland for short periods each time. 

Walk-through testing sites

You may be able to access testing via a walk-through testing site. You should walk or cycle to this site and avoid travelling by public transport or taxi.

You can book an appointment via the usual booking process. We have walk-through test sites in:

  • Aberdeen (Roy Strathdee Building)
  • Dundee (Park Place car park)
  • west Edinburgh (Gate 55, Sighthill)
  • north Edinburgh (Leith Library)
  • Edinburgh city centre (Usher Hall)
  • west Glasgow (Riverside Museum car park)
  • Glasgow city centre (Glasgow Caledonian ARC)
  • Inverclyde (Crawfurds Burn Community Centre)
  • Inverness (Highland Council HQ rear car park)
  • Perth (Thimblerow car park)
  • St Andrews (Victoria Memorial Hall)
  • Stirling (Forthside Way, next to The Engine Shed)
  • West Dunbartonshire (Napier Hall)

Helping students home at end of term

Plans announced to support students to return safely

Thousands of students in Scotland will be tested for coronavirus (COVID-19) under plans to allow those wishing to return home at the end of term, to do so safely.

In a statement to Parliament, Further and Higher Education Minister Richard Lochhead outlined the measures being taken by colleges and universities to support the safe return of up to 80,000 students ahead of the winter break.

The plans include a widespread COVID-19 testing scheme, which is expected to be rolled out by the start of December.

Enabling easy access to testing for students with COVID-19 symptoms has already proved to be effective in controlling outbreaks. Now Scottish students will be included in a UK-wide initiative to test some asymptomatic students prior to the end of term. 

The Government is working in partnership with institutions and the UK Government’s testing programme on the logistics of offering both lateral flow testing – a new rapid test currently being used in Liverpool, which can deliver a COVID result in about 15-20 minutes – and if needed a more sensitive PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test, which may take up to a day or longer to produce a result.

The other measures outlined by Mr Lochhead include:

  • All students will receive early, clear advice on staying safe. Those who chose to stay in student accommodation over the holiday period will also be well supported
  • There will be staggered and early departure from campuses, with universities being asked to make any necessary adjustments to scheduling, to ensure in-person teaching and assessment ends early enough to allow students time to get home at the end of term
  • Any student who wants to return home for the end of term, is being asked to voluntarily reduce their social mixing for two weeks before going home. This means going out only for essential reasons and exercise
  • All college and university students travelling home will be given advice on how to do so safely, which includes following public health advice on the use of public transport

Mr Lochhead said: “Covid 19 is a challenge for all of us, our students included. We have all worked hard to support students in gaining an education this term, and like everyone else we have learnt and adapted as we have progressed.

“Our challenge is to look after the wellbeing of our students by enabling them to return home, while at the same time keeping them, their loves ones, and communities safe.

“Testing will play a role – but only a limited role. My message to students is, ‘thank you for all your efforts, and please keep doing all you can to keep yourself and others safe’.

“I have no doubt the majority of students will want to act responsibly, and will follow the measures that will be set out.”

Read the Minister’s full Parliamentary statement 

Further information and guidance will shortly be published on the Scottish Government website.

Occupational Therapists’ concern over testing shortages

The difficulty that frontline key workers are having in accessing COVID-19 tests has recently been the subject of much discussion in parliament and the media.

Occupational therapists across the UK play a key role in the fight against the pandemic, and the lack of testing is of huge concern to the Royal College of Occupational Therapists.

Commenting on the lack of testing, RCOT Chief executive Julia Scott said: “We have seen over the past few days significant concerns from all areas of the NHS, Social Care, Teachers and those front-line key workers who have struggled to get a COVID-19 test.

“As we see spikes in the infection rates and signs of a second wave, we have huge concerns about the accessibility of testing for occupational therapists and AHP’s on the front-line. In particular, those that work in social care settings, such as care homes, which as we know are extremely vulnerable to the worst impacts of coronavirus.

“Whilst it is positive that government ministers have suggested that the NHS is the top priority for testing, this is worrying for social care which was overlooked in the initial response to the pandemic. Occupational therapists for weeks and months were hampered in providing vital support, such as rehabilitation, to those that needed it due to the lack of guidance and access to personal protective equipment.

“The fact that some NHS staff, Care Workers and Teachers are already having to self-isolate because they cannot access a test within a reasonable distance in many parts of the country, is not good enough. This needs to be resolved in days and not ‘in a matter of weeks’ as the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care indicated this week during urgent questions.”

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54172210

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-nhs-recovery-threatened-as-test-shortages-mean-staff-have-to-self-isolate-12072228

Schools video helps parents decide when it’s time to test

NHSGGC’s Director of Public Health has produced a helpful video for parents worried about when to get their children tested for Covid.

Dr Linda de Caestecker worked with Glasgow City Council on the video, after a dramatic rise in requests for tests for children after the schools returned in mid August.

Dr de Caestecker said: “The idea of the video is to explain in some detail the work that goes on in Public Health when a positive case is confirmed in a particular school.

“In each case a Public Health doctor will work with teachers, the headteacher of the school and the Education Department to carefully calculate who are close contacts of a case.

“There is also lots of information in the video about the symptoms to look out for and who does and does not need to be tested.

“I really do understand the anxiety that some parents may have but it’s vital we make sure the system is not overloaded. This means it’s really important to keep those testing slots for the people who really need them.

“I hope parents find the video reassuring in what are fairly uncertain times. The NHS inform website is another great source of information – www.nhsinform.scot.”

The video can be found at: www.nhsggc.org.uk/covid/schoolsvideo

Public message about Covid testing

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Public Health team has made an appeal, following a rapid rise in requests for Covid-19 tests.

The following advice is good for people living in other NHS Scotland areas too, including NHS Lothian.

Since schools went back recently there has been a sharp spike in testing requests, particularly from parents concerned for their children.

Dr Linda de Caestecker said: “In order to ensure we do everything we can to prevent a rise in cases, we need to remind people how the testing system works.

“Firstly, only people who are symptomatic need a test unless you are explicitly asked to get a test by public health as part of the management of an outbreak.

“The symptoms are the onset of a persistent cough, or a temperature/fever or a loss of taste or smell. You only need one of these to be tested. This can be done by calling 0800 028 2816 or visiting the NHS Inform website – www.nhsinform.scot.  You do not need to call NHS 24 to organise a test.

“I also want to stress that while family members need to self-isolate if someone in their household develops symptoms, they do not need to be tested unless they themselves go on to develop symptoms.  

“If you are contacted by Test and Protect to tell you that you are a close contact of somebody with Covid-19, you do not require a test but you must isolate for 14 days.  A test will not change the need to self-isolate.

“Another important point is if you do develop Covid symptoms and are ill and are worried about your health, you should call NHS 24 on 111. Please do not call NHS 24 unless you feel you need medical advice to deal with your illness.

“I want to thanks everyone for their continued patience with the system. We all need to work together as we enter this next phase in the fight against the virus.”

Please note you should only call 0800 028 2816 to book a test if you do not have access to the internet.

First of 11 planned walk-through sites set up

People who suspect they may have coronavirus (COVID-19) will be able to receive a test at a walk-through testing centre.

The clinically-approved and risk-assessed model means people can access testing in semi-permanent centres, both indoor and outdoor, just days after a site has been agreed.

Work has begun to set up the first of eleven sites planned to be up and running before winter.

Appointments will be available through NHS Inform to students and the wider community for the first of these, to be housed in the Victory Memorial Hall in St Andrews. Testing is expected to commence at this site in the coming days.

Consideration of location of the further 10 sites which will be easily accessible by bike, wheel or foot is underway including in the Highlands, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “Containing and suppressing this virus relies on testing being accessible to everyone. These walk through testing centres will further increase Scotland’s testing capacity ahead of potential spikes as we move into winter.

“They can be operational in a matter of days, and we are working at pace with NHS National Services Scotland and local authorities to roll out more across the country so that more people have access to local testing.

“We will continue to adapt our testing strategy in line with the different stages of the pandemic. However, testing is only one effective intervention that we are using to manage the virus and it remains vital that people continue to follow physical distancing advice and practise good hand and cough hygiene not just for their own safety but in order to protect others.”

NHS Fife Deputy Director of Public Health Dr Esther Curnock said: “The new walk-in testing site in St Andrews is an important resource for the local population and will play a vital role in helping to limit the spread of the virus in north-east Fife.

“With the prevalence of COVID-19 now much lower than it was at its peak, it is easy to think that the virus in no longer a risk to our health, however, that is far from the case.

“It is crucial, therefore, that people arrange to be tested as soon as any symptoms develop, such as a new continuous cough, a fever, or a loss or change in the sense smell or taste, and isolate immediately rather than waiting on the result of their test.”

Scotland’s COVID-19 Testing Strategy.

Professor Sally Mapstone, Principal of the University of St Andrews, said: “We’ve been in discussions for some time with the Scottish Government and NHS Fife about local testing facilities, and this is a positive and prudent development.

“The new testing centre will support the many steps the University is taking to keep our staff, students and local community safe, including our own Covid Rapid Response Service which will support quarantining and contact tracing, and monitor adherence to public health guidelines.” 

Co-Leader of Fife Council Cllr David Alexander said: “We are delighted to have been involved in getting one of Scotland’s first walk-in test centres up and running in St Andrews.

“With a high student population, a huge turnover of tourists and a centre of hospitality, St Andrews seemed to be an obvious choice for a test centre like this.”

Co-Leader of Fife Council Cllr. David Ross added: “These facilities are accessible for everyone in the area and will provide an invaluable resource in the fight against the spread of Covid-19 in our communities.” 

Huge boost to national testing study

  • Office for National Statistics to significantly expand infection survey to 400,000 people, making it the country’s largest study tracking COVID-19 in the general population
  • New data will support rapid testing and diagnosis of COVID-19 on a national and local level, helping to narrow down the areas of concern
  • UK Government to provide £2 million grant to ZOE COVID-19 Symptom Study app to support its ongoing data collection

The Office for National Statistics has partnered with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to extend the  ONS COVID-19 Infection Survey tracking the virus in the general population across the UK – making this the UK’s largest COVID-19 surveillance survey.

It will expand from regularly testing 28,000 people per fortnight in England to 150,000 by October, the Health Secretary announced today. The survey aims to increase to 400,000 people across the entire project.

The expanded study will play a crucial role in providing extensive, weekly data on the spread of infection, supporting rapid testing and diagnosis of COVID-19 both nationally and in areas of concern. The ONS will prioritise ramping up in the north west of England and London in light of recent upticks in infection rates in these areas.

Letters have already been sent out to tens of thousands of homes inviting new participants to take part in the survey. Anyone who receives a letter asking them to participate in the study is encouraged to do so.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “This country now has the capacity to test for coronavirus on an unprecedented scale and this ONS survey will be a crucial part of this work – improving our understanding of the rate of infection in the population and how many people have antibodies.

“This will allow us to further narrow down the areas potentially affected by local outbreaks and continue our fight to curb the spread ahead of winter.

“I urge anyone who is able to take part in this study to do so – you will be playing a vital role in the fight against the virus. The data and insight gathered will help inform our national, regional and local responses to the pandemic, allowing this nation to get back to the things we love doing.”

Reporting on a weekly basis, the ONS study will provide both a national picture of how the virus is spreading as well as granular estimates of the number of COVID-19 cases down to local level.

Crucially, this will allow government and local authorities to further narrow down the areas which may be undergoing outbreaks, potentially reducing the number of people affected by new restrictions and allowing for swift action to curb the spread of the virus.

Led by the ONS and The University of Oxford in partnership with the departments of health across the UK, the survey uses routine swabbing and antibody testing to provide insight into the rate of infection and antibody levels in the community.

Professor Sir Ian Diamond, UK National Statistician, said: “Vigilance is key to containing this pandemic and the extra data on the spread of infections and antibodies at local level will be invaluable to the planning of effective local responses.

“Following this expansion, the ONS-led COVID-19 Infection Survey will be the biggest of its kind in this country. If you’ve been approached to take part then please do so. You will be helping us all to contain this terrible virus and get on with our lives.”

Alongside this significant expansion, the government is providing a £2 million grant to the ZOE COVID-19 Symptom Study app to support its data collection. Participants use the app to regularly report on their health and symptoms and whether they have tested positive for the virus or not, making it the largest public science project of its kind anywhere in the world.

Data from the app is analysed in collaboration with King’s College London researchers and provides granular data on symptoms across the country, helping identify local outbreaks and support NHS decision-making. Researchers are able to predict who has the virus and track infections across the UK as well as identify who is most at risk and where high-risk areas are.

The government will not have access to the base data gathered by the app. The ZOE app is separate to the NHS Test and Trace app launched last week for a trial run, to support national and local contact tracing and help minimise the spread of COVID-19.

Together, these studies will help control the spread of the virus by providing vital new intelligence on the scale of local outbreaks, inform our understanding of the virus and how it affects different demographics.

Jonathan Wolf, CEO of ZOE, said: “We are a start-up, so we are delighted that this funding guarantees the future of the study throughout the winter. When we started the study with Professor Tim Spector at King’s in March, we never imagined it could become so important. We have been blown away by the commitment of the British public to help fight COVID, by sharing the state of their health daily.

“The app is an amazing demonstration of the power of large-scale science and the use of machine learning. We have funded the app ourselves so far, and with this funding we can continue the essential work of hotspot detection and research on the long-term risks of COVID.

“We are delighted that ZOE and this innovative study can play a part in keeping the UK safe.”

First Minister: Clusters, testing and care home discharges

Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St Andrew’s House yesterday (Monday 17 August):

Hello and thanks for joining us again today. Let me start with the usual update on the COVID-19 statistics.

I can confirm that an additional 26 positive cases were confirmed yesterday.

That represents 0.7% of the people who were newly tested yesterday, and it takes the total number of cases in Scotland to 19,358.

A full health board breakdown will be published later, but the provisional information I have is that 13 of the 26 new cases are in the Grampian Health Board area.

A total of 248 patients are currently in hospital with confirmed Covid which is five more than yesterday.

Three people are in intensive care which is the same number as yesterday.

I’m also very pleased to say that yet again in the past 24 hours, no deaths were registered of patients who first tested positive over the previous 28 days, and therefore the number of deaths under that measurement remains 2,491.

However that total of course is still a reminder of the dreadful impact this virus has had. My condolences again go to everyone who has suffered loss.

And as always, let me thank everyone who is still working hard in a variety of different capacities across the country to help us through this pandemic.

I have three issues I want to briefly update on today. First let me provide some further details about ongoing clusters and outbreaks across the country.

I mentioned a moment ago that 13 of the 26 new cases reported earlier were in the Grampian area. On the latest figures available, a total of 380 cases have been identified in the Grampian Health Board area since the 26th of July.

207 of these we think are associated with the same cluster linked to Aberdeen pubs, and 1050 contacts have now been identified from those 207 cases.

In addition, teams are still investigating community clusters in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire and in North East Glasgow. Those clusters of course include some young people who go to local schools and more detail and information about those clusters will be provided as it becomes available.

I can also advise today of a cluster in Coupar Angus which is linked to a 2 Sisters food processing plant. So far, this outbreak has 4 confirmed cases – however contact tracing and testing is still ongoing. The plant’s owners have closed the facility, as part of their work with us to control any outbreak.

These clusters obviously show that the virus is still out there and continues to pose a real and serious risk. It is highly infectious, and once it takes hold, it can spread very rapidly. All of us have a responsibility – in everything we do – to try to stop that from happening which is why we continue to stress the importance of the FACTS advice which I will come back to again at the end of my remarks.

These clusters also show the importance of the work being done by our public health and protect teams in different parts of the country as they work to identify contacts, and trace those contact and help to contain the outbreaks that have been identified. I want to take the opportunity again today thank them for the work they’re doing.

The second thing I want to highlight today is the publication of our updated testing strategy for this phase in the pandemic.

That sets out our current priorities for testing, based on the work we have already done to increase capacity and improve availability.

As you would expect, our top priority is to test anyone who has symptoms of Covid – a temperature, a new cough, or a loss of or change in your sense of taste or smell. Anyone who develops these symptoms should book a test immediately through the NHS Inform website.

Our second priority now is testing contacts of people with Covid, and using testing in that way to prevent or minimise new outbreaks of the virus.

Our third priority is the routine testing of people who work in high risk environments such as care homes.

We’re also using testing to ensure the safe resumption or continuation of NHS services, and to assess prevalence of the virus in Scotland.

Finally, the strategy sets out our intention to further increase testing capacity in Scotland. That will be increasingly important as we move into the autumn and winter, because in those months, more people will have symptoms, such as a new cold, which may be similar to Covid symptoms.

Current weekday capacity in Scotland is just over 40,000 tests a day. We want to and we’re working to increase that to 65,000 tests a day. We are also working to improve the accessibility of tests.

Overall, the strategy seeks to give a concise and clear explanation of who we are seeking to test, why we test them, and what our plans for the near future are. The Health Secretary will say a bit more about it in a moment.

It will be available to read on the Scottish Government website this afternoon for anyone who is interested.

The final point I want to cover relates to media coverage about care home discharges – and particularly the suggestion that in some cases people who were thought to have Covid were discharged from hospitals into care homes.

Let me be very clear – as I have been many times before – that proper scrutiny of all and every aspects of our response to Covid, including of course in care homes, is really essential.

And that scrutiny will and must include consideration of whether – based on what we knew at each stage – the guidance in place was both appropriate and properly implemented.

And that of course is why we have committed to a public inquiry in due course.

However, I want to again be clear also that, while there will undoubtedly be lessons to learn when a new virus is encountered – and we take that very seriously – care was taken to put guidance in place that was considered to be appropriate at every stage.

For example, from mid-March that included guidance requiring clinical screening of patients being transferred from hospitals to care homes, to guard against inappropriate transfer. It also advised social isolation within care homes.

However, it is right that all of this, is properly scrutinised in the inquiry that will be instructed in due course.

I’m about to hand over to the Health Secretary, and then to the National Clinical Director – but before I do that, I would like to end, as always, by stressing the importance of FACTS.

The clusters I mentioned earlier that we are seeing in different parts of the country really do show how quickly and easily the virus can be transmitted from one person to another.

And they demonstrate that all of us need to do everything we can, to ensure that we don’t give it a chance to spread.

We all have a responsibility to each other, to continue to suppress it.

And all of us can do that, by sticking to FACTS – the five golden rules that we should remember as we go out and about our everyday business.

· Face coverings in enclosed spaces
· Avoid crowded places, indoors or outdoors
· Clean your hands regularly and remember to clean hard surfaces after you have touched them.
· Two metre distancing remains the overall rule and it is important everyone remembers that and abides by it
· and Self isolate, and book a test, if you have any of the symptoms of Covid.

If we stick to these 5 rules as rigidly as we possibly can, we will help to deny the virus bridges to travel across from one person to another and from one household to another and in that way, we will all do our bit to suppress the virus and help to protect ourselves and each other.

So, I want to thank everybody who is taking care to do all this once again for that, and encourage all of you to pass that message to everybody else that you know and encourage everybody to stick to FACTS, so we can continue to keep this virus under control.

Care home testing must increase, say Scottish Tories

SNP Ministers must step up their efforts and get on top of testing care home staff and residents in NHS Lothian.

2,665 care home staff and 2,460 care home residents have been tested cumulatively since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak, up to the 7th June.

This is despite SNP Health Secretary Jeane Freeman promising last month that every care home worker would be routinely tested.

The Scottish Conservatives challenged SNP First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on the matter at First Minister’s Questions where Nicola Sturgeon revealed only a fifth of care home staff had been routinely tested across the country.

Table 5 – Number of Tests – Care Home Staff and Residents
             
Number of Tests
Week Commencing 1 June Cumulative total to 7 June
NHS Board Staff Residents Staff Residents
Ayrshire and Arran                67                  30                689              579
Borders                22                  13                343              193
Dumfries & Galloway                  4                    7                  75              159
Fife             178                  30                763              372
Forth Valley             876               565            2,176           1,858
Grampian             115               167            1,709           1,668
Greater Glasgow & Clyde                17               678                920           5,709
Highland                47                  40                258              265
Lanarkshire                43               119                586              956
Lothian             566               327            2,665           2,460
Orkney                  6                    5                  20                 15
Shetland                  8                    9                  74                 52
Tayside             264               139                876              741
Western Isles                30                    4                  41                 22
Scotland          2,243            2,133          11,195        15,049

Scottish Government statistics reveal that across Scotland’s 14 health boards, only 18,110 care home staff have been tested out of an estimated 50,000 across the country – NHS Border said it didn’t have the capacity to run care home tests.

Lothian MSP Miles Briggs has repeatedly raised concerns over the level of testing in care homes since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Earlier this month it was revealed that over 900 hospital patients were discharged to care homes with being tested for Covid-19.

The Scottish Conservatives are calling for all for SNP Ministers to set a deadline for when all care home staff will be routinely tested.

Miles Briggs, who is the Conservative health spokesperson, said: “There has simply not been enough testing carried out in care homes since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has had disastrous consequences.

“SNP Ministers have been repeatedly told that testing is crucial for reducing the spread of Covid-19, but have slow to implement testing in care homes.

“In Edinburgh and the Lothians there have only been 2,665 tests carried out on care home staff, no where near as many as are necessary.

“Nicola Sturgeon and SNP Ministers must set a firm deadline as to when all care home staff will be tested.”

 

Public support for Test & Protect

A new poll found a high level of support for testing measures to control the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

The survey, carried out days before NHS Scotland’s Test and Protect was rolled out across the country, showed 91% of adults in Scotland recognised the importance of testing while 89% agreed that staying home helped to save lives. In total 88% said they would want a test if at all possible if they developed symptoms, and 88% would be happy to provide details of people with whom they had been in contact.

Under the system, people will need to isolate with their household as soon as they have symptoms and get tested straight away through NHSInform.scot. If they have a positive test result, they will be asked to provide details of all recent close contacts to NHS contact tracers, and those people will be contacted and asked to isolate for 14 days.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “Test and Protect is an essential step in our response to COVID-19. We are taking this step now because it’s the appropriate thing to do for this stage of the virus.

“As with lockdown, we need everyone to take this next step very seriously. They have done this so far, and I am very confident they will step up to show the same spirit of solidarity and care for each other as before.

“It is a collective national endeavour. People will need the help of family, friends, colleagues and employers. But support from us and our local authority partners will be available for anyone who needs extra help to self-isolate.

“If we all agree that some of us will have to stay home at times – when we have symptoms, test positive, or have been in contact with someone who tests positive – we can gradually move away from a situation where everyone has to stay home all of the time.”

First Minister announces ‘steps on the journey back to a form of normality’

Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St Andrew’s House yesterday (Monday 18th May):

Good afternoon everybody. Thank you for joining us. I want to start – as always – with an update you on the key statistics in relation to Covid-19.

As at 9 o’clock this morning, there have been 14,594 positive cases confirmed – which is an increase of 57 since yesterday.

A total of 1,427 patients are in hospital with Covid-19 – 1,005 of them have been confirmed as having the virus, and 422 are suspected of having it. That represents a total increase of 119 from yesterday, however the number of confirmed cases has declined by 2.

A total of 63 people last night were in intensive care with confirmed or suspected Covid 19. That is an increase of 4 since yesterday.

I am also able to confirm today that since 5 March, a total of 3,354 patients who had tested positive have been able to leave hospital and I wish all of them well.

Unfortunately though I also have to report that in the past 24 hours, 2 deaths have been registered of patients who have been confirmed through a test as having the virus – that takes the total number of deaths in Scotland, under that measurement, to 2,105.

I should of course inject some caution into that figure – as I often say on a Monday, although deaths can now be registered at weekends, registration numbers are usually relatively low then, and they can be especially low on a Sunday. That should be taken into account when considering today’s figure.

Again, let me stress – these numbers are not just statistics. Each one is an individual whose loss is a source of real sorrow and deep grief. My condolences go to everyone who has lost a loved one to this virus.

And let me also want to thank – as I always do – our health and care workers for the extraordinary work they continue to do in such difficult and challenging circumstances.

Now I have three things that I want to update on today. 

The first is that we have changed our guidance on the symptoms of Covid-19, this is based on a recommendation from the Chief Medical Officers across the UK.

Until now, we have been asking people to stay at home for 7 days if you have a high temperature, or a persistent cough. That remains the case.

However we have also said that we are learning about this virus as it develops, and we now have sufficient evidence to add an additional symptom which you should look out for.

If you notice a loss of, or change in, your sense of taste or smell – something called anosmia – that is also, or can also be, a symptom of Covid-19.

The Chief Medical Officer will say more about this in a few moments, but to summarise – if you have a high temperature, or a persistent cough, or if you notice a loss of taste or smell – stay at home completely for 7 days, and don’t leave your home at all. Other people in your household should stay at home for 14 days.

The second issue I want to discuss today is that from today, we are widening the number of people who can be tested for Covid-19.

The Health Secretary will say a bit more in a moment about testing in care homes.

The change I will talk about is that anyone over the age of 5, who has any of the three symptoms of Covid-19 – including of course that loss of taste or smell – will now be able to book a test.

The tests will be available through the drive-in centres – at Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow airports, and in Perth and Inverness. They will also available through the 12 mobile testing units which are based across the country, and which move around every 5 days or so.

Tests at drive-in centres have already been made available to over 65s, to key workers – for example people in vital infrastructure services – and to anyone who needs to work, who cannot work from home. Tests have also been available to household members of these groups.

The further expansion that we are announcing today will ensure that anyone with symptoms will be able to find out if they have the virus, and will therefore be able to know whether or not they should be isolating.

Tests can be booked online. Priority will continue to be given to those who are key workers, and these can be secured by booking through an employer.

When you book a test, you will be allocated to the centre that is closest to your own postcode. I know that for some people that will involve travelling quite a long distance. We are currently working with the military to try to make mobile testing units as widely available as possible.

It is also worth stressing that for NHS and social care key workers, or symptomatic household members of those workers, testing should still be accessed through the NHS.

This testing ensures priority access, and should be accessible to care and health service staff at NHS facilities within their local area – it should not require people to travel long distances.

Today’s expansion is the result of co-operation between NHS Scotland, the Scottish Government and the UK Government. It will help more people to know if they have the virus and it will be helpful as we build towards our strategy of test, trace, isolate and support – something that will be especially important, as we start to emerge gradually from lockdown.

That is relevant to the final issue I want to talk about today.

I can confirm today that we will publish on Thursday a routemap setting out our phased approach to easing lockdown measures.

This will take account of the up to date estimates of the transmission rate, or R number, and the number of cases. It will also take account of the latest National Records of Scotland report, due on Wednesday, on the number of deaths from COVID.

The routemap we publish on Thursday will give a more detailed indication of the order in which we will carefully and gradually seek to lift current restrictions

Now like other countries we will not yet be able to put frim dates on all of the different phases – because timings must be driven by data and evidence.

It will also be important that we assess the impact of measures in one phase before moving on to another. We will continue, and again I want to stress this, to take a cautious approach that ensures the virus is suppressed, while seeking to restore as much normality as possible when it is safe to do so.

However, Thursday’s routemap will confirm that – assuming we see progress in suppressing the virus – the first phase will start from the next formal review date of 28 May.

Within a few days of that, we will aim to allow, for example, more outdoor activity – such as being able to sit in the park, meet up outdoors with someone from another household, as long as you stay socially distanced; some limited outdoor sporting activities, like golf and fishing; the opening of garden centres and recycling facilities; and the resumption of some outdoor work.

This first phase will coincide with our ability to start, on a phased basis, a substantial test, trace and isolate operation to help us keep the virus under control as we start to ease up restrictions. That part is absolutely crucial.

Thursday’s routemap will also set out our up to date assessment at that point of a phased of a return to school, as guided by the considerations of the Education Recovery Group.

From Thursday onwards, we will also set out guidance for key industries on the changes they will need to make to ensure their employees and customers are safe in advance of further changes, as well as setting out advice on travel and transport.

So, within two weeks, my hope is that we will be taking some concrete steps on the journey back to a form of normality.

As I have said before, It won’t be normality exactly as we knew it because the virus will not have gone away. But it will be a journey to a better balance, I hope, than the one we have today.

As we take each step, we must make sure the ground beneath us is as solid as possible.

And that’s why, between now and then, sticking with the lockdown restrictions a bit longer, to suppress the virus more, is so important.

Because that will mean we can start to take these steps with confidence that we have alternative means of effectively keeping it under control.

So for that reason, our key advice now remains unchanged, and it remains as important as ever.

Please stay at home right now except for essential purposes – such as essential work that can’t be done at home, exercise, or accessing essential items like food and medicine.

You can of course now exercise more than once a day – but when you do leave the house, stay more than 2 metres away from other people. And don’t meet up with people from households other than yours at this stage.

You should wear a face covering if you are in a shop or on public transport. And please wash your hands thoroughly and regularly.

Finally, if you or someone else in your household has symptoms, then you should stay at home completely, and a reminder – those symptoms are a high temperature, or a persistent cough, or a change or loss of smell or taste.

By sticking with these restrictions now, we make it all the more likely we can start that journey back to normality within the timescale I talked about a moment.

So let me end with my thanks again to all of you, for doing the right thing, and staying at home at this stage, you are helping to slow down the virus spread, you are helping to protect the NHS and undoubtedly you are saving lives.

Thank you very much indeed, I am now going to hand over to the Chief Medical Officer to say a few words, particularly about the change to guidance on symptoms today and then I will hand over to the Health Secretary who is going to say a few words, including some more detail on testing in care homes …