Drive-through Scots tests for coronavirus
● Latest measures come following news of the first British national death in Japan
“Drive-through” testing for people who fear they have come into contact with a coronavirus carrier is underway at one of Scotland’s major hospitals.
The coronavirus testing centre at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, which swung into operation yesterday, sees people with prebooked appointments met by staff in protective clothing and tested for Covid-19, while sitting in their cars. Results will be given within 24 hours.
The move follows the death of the first British man who tested positive for coronavirus after travelling on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.
In a statement NHS Lothian said: “Patients who are given an appointment will be asked to drive directly to the testing area, without speaking to anyone else on the route.
“They will be met by specially trained healthcare professionals in protective clothing, who will ask them to wind down the window of their car. “A painless throat swab will be taken and the patient will be given information on self-isolation and asked to return and remain at home. Results will be returned as soon as possible, usually within 24 hours.”
Those attending have been referred by their GP or NHS 24.
The initiative was introduced as
NHS Lothian steps-up preparations for the possible spread of the virus and is designed to complement the existing community-testing service where trained teams test patients in their own home.
The Scottish Government said NHS Lothian had released details of its new service to “clarify” the situation and to deter people turning up at hospitals without an appointment.
NHS Grampian have been running a low-key ‘drive through’ testing service for a few weeks but details have not been widely known.
Testing arrangements are being expanded across Scotland with boards implementing a range of different services such as testing at health care facilities and community testing.
Dr Tracey Gillies, medical director, NHS Lothian, said: “This service is for patients who have been assessed by the specialist team so it is an appointment-only service.
“It is not a drop-in clinic and it is important to stress that patients cannot be seen without an appointment.
“The drive-through facility and the community testing teams allow us to test patients without them coming into healthcare facilities.
“Patients will be referred on by their GP or NHS 24 if they are at risk of the virus and meet the clinical criteria.
“They will then be referred on to our teams, who will decide whether they need to be tested in their own homes or if they are well enough and can use their own transport to drive to the Western General Hospital.”
Updates on public health advice for coronavirus can be found on the NHS Inform website, and a free helpline has been set up for those who do not have symptoms but are looking for general health advice - 0800 028 2816.
The total number of coronavirus cases in the UK has risen to 19
Earlier yesterday three more cases of the virus were confirmed in the UK, including the first one in Wales, and two more in England.
Northern Ireland confirmed its first case on Thursday.
A total of 500 Scottish tests have been carried out but there are still no confirmed cases north of the border.
The Japanese Ministry of Health said the man from the Diamond Princess, quarantined off the country’s coast, was the sixth to die.
Health authorities ordered a 14-day quarantine for all on board which had an original population of 3,711 passengers.
The outbreak started in the Chinese city of Wuhan earlier this month. China has reported nearly 80,000 cases and almost 3,000 deaths.
Outside China, there have been cases in nearly 60 countries with more than 80 deaths.
On Thursday, it emerged schools have been given advice to prep staff on preventing the spread of infections.
Earlier this week, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also chaired a Scottish Government resilience meeting with attendees including Health Secretary Jeane Freeman.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will chair a meeting of the government’s Cobra emergency committee on Monday in response to a growing number of cases in Europe.
Scotland’s chief medical officer Catherine Calderwood previously said the Government and NHS were working on “containment first” and then – if coronavirus was discovered – a range of measures to try to limit the number of people infected.
Dr Frank Atherton, chief medical officer for Wales, said that the first diagnosed patient in Wales had travelled back from Italy, the worst-affected country in Europe.
Those identified in England had travelled back from Iran where the virus has spread rapidly – with 22 dead amid 141 cases confirmed.
Authorities in Northern Ireland contacted passengers who sat near a woman, confirmed as having coronavirus, on a flight from northern Italy to Dublin. She had flown from northern Italy to Dublin Airport before continuing her journey by land, reportedly using public transport.