Medics told of infection risk without symptoms in January
NHS SCOTLAND has been warning medics since January of the risk of Covid-19 being spread by people with no symptoms, it has emerged.
Evidence from around the world detailing the danger of superspreaders was collated by the health service and shared with doctors from the early days of the pandemic.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Health Secretary Jeane Freeman have faced criticism after more than 1,400 elderly patients were discharged direct from hospitals into care homes in March and April without being tested unless visibly ill.
It is claimed this helped fuel the deadly outbreak among residents.
Both ministers have insisted there had been little or no evidence at the time of pre-or asymptomatic carriers being able to infect others.
But the Scottish Daily Mail can reveal that the first cases were being highlighted at the end of January.
A US medical journal published a letter from German doctors outlining how a Chinese woman had passed on Covid-19 to a Munich businessman and they had gone on to infect three others before either of them developed any symptoms.
NHS Education for Scotland, responsible for keeping medics up to date with research, added the German correspondence to its Knowledge Network database.
More alarming testimony arrived from China in February where a family of five had been infected by a seemingly-healthy relative from Wuhan, the seat of the pandemic.
At the same time, the first UK super-spreader caught Covid-19 in Singapore, gave it to fellow skiers at a French resort the went home to Sussex where he was diagnosed.
As further evidence of asymptomatic spread emerged it was also added to the Knowledge Network but it was not until April 22 that the Scottish Government issued guidance to ensure all hospital patients were tested before being moved to care homes, six days after the same change was made in England.
Miss Sturgeon has claimed that the delay was due to a lack of knowledge about the danger of asymptomatic transmission.
And Miss Freeman told Holyrood: ‘As both the First Minister and I have said, in the early days of the pandemic the clear advice we received from scientific and clinical experts was that there was no transmission from asymptomatic individuals.’
Scottish Conservative shadow health secretary Miles Briggs said: ‘It’s bad enough that Nicola Sturgeon and her health secretary can’t get their stories straight.
‘Now we learn SNP government officials had more than enough information and guidance on this most crucial of issues.
‘It’s yet another failure on behalf of care homes, their vulnerable residents and dedicated staff. SNP ministers have made a host of mistakes with care homes and the consequences have been dreadful.’
The Scottish Government said ministers had taken their advice from Health Protection Scotland, part of the NHS, but would not comment on whether they had been told the risk was nil or low.
‘Another failure on care homes’