Coronavirus tests in Scotland hit 500 but no confirmed cases
A total of 500 tests for coronavirus have now been carried out in Scotland but there are still no confirmed cases in the country.
The update comes as the first case was confirmed in Wales and two more were identified in England – bringing the total number in the UK to 19.
The outbreak of this strain, known as Covid-19, started in the Chinese city of Wuhan earlier this month.
Update on #coronavirus testing
As of 2pm today, a total of 500 Scottish tests have concluded:
500 confirmed negative0 positive
Read our latest update ➡️ https://t.co/1ndOEMq3gDHealth advice ➡️ https://t.co/l7rqArB6QuGuidance for travel ➡️ https://t.co/4wYN0WcF1R#COVIDー19pic.twitter.com/CXoHPSup2R
— Scottish Government (@scotgov) February 28, 2020
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 issued with advice to prep staff on preventing the spread of infections by Health Protection Scotland (HPS).
Earlier this week, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also chaired a Scottish Government resilience meeting with attendees including Health Secretary Jeane Freeman.
Scotland’s chief medical officer Catherine Calderwood previously said the Government and NHS were working on “containment first” and then – if coronavirus was discovered in this country – a range of measures to try to limit the number of people infected.
She also suggested people could be banned from gathering in large numbers to contain any spread.