NHS STAFF QUEUE AT VIRUS TEST HUB
WORKERS LINE UP TO GET CHECKED FOR CORONAVIRUS
The first of more than 1,000 local health workers – off work because they don’t know if they have coronavirus – have been tested at a major hub in Paisley.
Dozens of cars queued at the Glasgow Airport testing centre, which opened within the long-stay car park at Paisley’s Abbotsinch Road on Sunday afternoon.
Patients, invited to the centre by appointment, were asked to drive alongside testing stations where staff wearing face masks and protective glasses took swabs from their mouths.
People tested at the centre are among more than 1,000 members of staff working for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde who are understood to be absent from work because of the virus.
A total of 760 employees alone are remaining at home because a member of their household is displaying symptoms of Covid-19.
Even more are at home because they themselves are symptomatic, although the health board would not confirm the exact number of employees who are ill.
The Express revealed on Friday that the drive-thru testing centre was being erected, explaining only frontline NHS
staff would be tested initially.
A spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: “We have now expanded our testing arrangements to enable symptomatic household contacts of staff working in priority areas to be tested for Covid-19.
“A new drive-through testing facility has already been set up with two more planned for next week to support this expanded testing.
“Where the results are negative this will allow the staff member to return to work sooner than the required 14 days of self-isolation.
“We are recruiting additional staff across a range of health professions to support our current staffing capacity to deal with the Covid-19 emergency.”
The number of people with coronavirus in the Greater Glasgow area - including Renfrewshire - has jumped to 984.
That is an increase of 53 cases in the past 24 hours.
It was also confirmed that one of the two recorded deaths on Sunday was that of a home care worker within Greater Glasgow.
Speaking at her daily press briefing, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “The death is a reminder that people working in our health and care services are not only showing immense dedication and expertise, they are displaying great courage.
“I’m sure everyone in Scotland once again is reflecting on the considerable debt we owe each and every one of them.”
Ms Sturgeon also told her daily press briefing that the current 222 coronavirus death toll is “artificially low” and would likely rise later in the week when more figures become available.
As of 9am yesterday morning, there were 3,961 positive cases of Coronavirus in Scotland - an increase of 255 from the previous day.
There are 1,599 patients in hospital, 199 of them in intensive care.