Revealed, how virus ‘jumped’ between towns 40 miles apart
FRESH details of the link between a Covid-19 cluster and a virus-hit call centre have highlighted the ease with which the infection can spread.
The affected areas are almost 40 miles apart.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) confirmed 13 people in Inverclyde have been infected – including staff at M&D Green Pharmacy in Port Glasgow and a worker at Amazon’s Gourock site, both in Renfrewshire.
On Friday, the health board announced that one of those cases was linked to a previous cluster last month – at the Sitel UK call centre in Motherwell, Lanarkshire.
Now, senior council insiders claim they have managed to track each stage of the transmission of Covid-19 from Lanarkshire to Inverclyde.
They said the latest cluster was sparked by an infected employee at the Sitel call centre who came into contact with a delivery driver.
That secondary person – known as the ‘index case’ for the second cluster – then visited the pharmacy in Port Glasgow, spreading the virus to a number of staff.
An infected Amazon worker based in Gourock is said to have been in contact with one of the pharmacy employees.
Members of pharmacy staff are also believed to have visited four businesses in West Dunbartonshire and Glasgow – raising fears of further contamination.
They include two bars, a selfcatering accommodation site and a cruise company.
Last night, a source said: ‘This shows you just how quickly this virus can spread and how it moves about the country.
‘So it starts off in Lanarkshire, comes to Inverclyde and then it goes to West Dunbartonshire and then Glasgow. It is scary stuff.
‘You can understand the anxiety in the community about this and the fear.’ Last month an outbreak at the Sitel centre, which holds around 600 people, resulted in 20 people testing positive for coronavirus.
Extensive contact tracing was carried out, leading to deep cleans of linked business premises and visits by environmental health officials.
But the source said an employee at the call centre came into contact with a delivery driver – who went on to spread the virus to Inverclyde.
It is unclear whether the existence of the secondary contact was declared to health authorities to allow for tracing to be carried out.
Once infected, that person is thought to have visited the M&D Green Pharmacy – a number staff have since tested positive for coronavirus.
Meanwhile, one Amazon worker based at the company’s warehouse in Gourock – and who was also infected – is now believed to have come into contact with one of the pharmacy workers.
Another member of pharmacy staff is thought to have gone on a family trip to Loch Lomond, staying at the Lomond Woods Holiday Park on the weekend of July 24.
Other businesses visited by potentially infected pharmacy staff include The Botany bar and restaurant on Maryhill Road, Glasgow, and Sweeney’s Cruises in Dunbartonshire, which were both attended on Sunday. There was also a visit to The Queen of the Loch in Balloch, Dunbartonshire.
All the businesses linked to the outbreak are continuing to operate but staff from the pharmacy who have tested positive are not at work.
Despite the lack of clarity around how the virus was able to be transmitted from the call centre worker to their contact, the source said: ‘It does appear that contact tracing has been effective.’
An incident management team is contacting anyone who may be affected. Its chairman, Dr Daniel Carter, said: ‘All those who have tested positive for Covid-19 have been given appropriate advice and are self-isolating. We are working with a number of businesses including a local pharmacy to trace any close contacts.’
Dr Linda de Caestecker, director of public health at NHSGGC, added: ‘None of the cases are experiencing anything but mild symptoms.’
‘You can understand the anxiety and fear’