CORONA: IT’S HERE
Taysider is being treated on an isolation ward after contracting the killer virus on a trip to Italy
SCOTLAND’S first case of coronavirus was diagnosed last night.
The Taysider, who has not been named, contracted the killer disease on a recent trip to Italy.
They are in hospital receiving treatment on an isolation ward. There were a total of 13 new UK cases confirmed yesterday, taking the number of Brits infected to 36.
THE first case of coronavirus in Scotland was confirmed last night.
A statement by the Scottish Government said the patient, a resident of Tayside, had been admitted to hospital for treatment in isolation. They had recently travelled from northern Italy.
The process of contacting those who the infected person may have come into contact with had begun last night.
The statement added: “It is important to note that this does not involve people the patient may have passed on the street or in a shop as the risk in these situations is very low.
“Close contact involves either face to face contact or spending more than 15 minutes within two metres of an infected person.”
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon – who chaired a meeting of the Scottish Government Resilience Committee last night – said: “Our first thoughts must be with the patient diagnosed with coronavirus, I wish them a speedy recovery.
“Scotland is well-prepared for a significant outbreak of coronavirus but there is currently no treatment or vaccine.
“Early detection measures will continue to be vital in helping to prevent the spread of the virus.
“People have a vital role to play in helping us contain any outbreak by following the latest health and travel advice, and following basic hygiene precautions, such as washing hands frequently, not touching their face and covering their nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.”
The news came after a coronavirus scare at Edinburgh Airport when a man collapsed on a flight from Tenerife.
The drama unfolded on the tarmac when a Ryanair flight landed in the early hours of yesterday.
Paramedics rushed to the plane where the man was treated while passengers and crew had to wait onboard while they were checked out for Covid-19.
Confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK have leapt to 36 after 12 new patients were also identified in England.
Passengers described “panic” as the man – who had been coughing with flu-like symptoms – fell ill mid-flight before losing consciousness.
Witnesses say he had convinced airline staff that he was fit to travel on the flight, which departed almost two hours late from Tenerife late on Saturday night.
A hotel in the Spanish resort, the
H10 Costa Adeje Palace, is closed after several guests contracted coronavirus.
The Ryanair flight stood on the tarmac for more than two hours until NHS staff tested the passengers and gave them the all-clear. One woman, from the Edinburgh area, said: “The old man was coughing on the flight.
“He collapsed onboard and everyone was really worried about him and obviously panicking given where we had flown from.
“A junior doctor and a nurse were both on the flight and they were checking him over but the plane didn’t have the correct thermometers, only those temperature strips.
“When we landed, the plane was held on the runway and we were told to stay in our seats so we could be checked by NHS staff.
“The man was being asked loads of questions about where he stayed, like was he in the Adeje hotel.
“Everyone was worried that we’d get taken into some sort of quarantine instead of getting home.
“Everyone checked out OK but I didn’t get home until after 3am because of it.”
Last night, a spokesman for Edinburgh Airport said the person who fell ill had been transferred by ambulance to hospital for further treatment.
He said: “A passenger was taken ill but does not appear to have the coronavirus.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We can’t and will not comment on individuals being tested due to patient confidentiality.”
The incident comes as more than 200 British holidaymakers have been quarantined at the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel since last Tuesday.
Some have already been allowed
Everyone was worried we’d be quarantined
PASSENGER ON TENERIFE TO EDINBURGH FLIGHT