New coronavirus cases in Scotland confirmed as being in Ayrshire and Grampian

The two new cases of coronavirus in Scotland are in Ayrshire and Grampian, the Scottish Government has confirmed.

The cases take the Scottish total to three, after a person in Tayside was diagnosed with Covid-19 on Sunday evening.

Both the newly diagnosed patients are “clinically well and are receiving appropriate clinical care”, the Scottish Government said in a statement.

One patient had recently travelled to northern Italy and the other had contact with a known positive case – but this was not with the Tayside patient.

Medics are gathering details of the places the patients have visited and people they have been in contact with and said those at risk of infection will be contacted by health protection teams for further advice.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman, who earlier revealed the outbreak had spread overnight, said: “Our first thoughts must be with the patients diagnosed with coronavirus, I wish them a full and speedy recovery.

“We expect the number of cases to rise and Scotland is well-prepared for a significant outbreak of coronavirus.

“There is currently no treatment or vaccine so early detection measures will continue to be vital in helping to prevent the spread of the virus.”

She added: “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.”

Scotland’s chief medical officer Dr Catherine Calderwood said her thoughts are also with the patients and their families.

“Scotland is well-equipped to deal with infections of this kind,” she said.

“We have a proven track record of dealing with challenging health issues and have been preparing for this possibility since the beginning of the outbreak.

“We practise and prepare our response to disease outbreaks and follow tried and tested procedures, following the highest safety standards possible for the protection of NHS staff, patients and the public.”

The Scottish Government has warned up to 80% of the population could become infected, with potentially 4% of this group requiring hospital treatment.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme, Ms Freeman said: “Not all of those people will require hospital treatment at the same time.”

She said the Scottish Government was looking at capacity in the NHS and “what more we can do now in order to create additional headroom inside the health service”.

Consideration is also being given to how to increase capacity in areas of the NHS such as high oxygen therapy for patients, Mr Freeman said.

Meetings are also taking place with local government leaders at Cosla to see what can be done to ensure patients do not have to stay in hospital longer than is needed because they are waiting for care arrangements.

The Health Secretary said: “There is more than we need to do, we still have too many people not leaving at the point when the hospital has finished delivering clinical care.”

Meanwhile, residents at a sheltered housing complex in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, were advised to stay in their homes overnight after a suspected case of coronavirus was discovered.

Chris Milburn, customer services director for site manager Hanover Scotland, said: “Yesterday afternoon, a resident at one of our developments in Ayrshire who had recently returned from south-east Asia reported feeling unwell.

“Because the well-being of our residents and staff is our prime concern, our site manager immediately contacted the NHS and the resident was taken to hospital for tests.

“We took the decision at the same time to ask residents to stay in their homes until this morning as a precaution.

“We have been in touch with each resident this morning and advised them that, in line with advice published by NHS Inform, they can carry on as normal.”

He said the situation is being kept under review and any resident with concerns should contact their local housing manager or call Hanover Scotland on 0131 557 0598.