Coronavirus / Thirty islanders confirmed with Covid-19 since outbreak began
NHS Shetland testing of key workers at risk now under way
THE NUMBER of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Shetland continues to slowly rise according to the latest official figures from the Scottish Government.
Meanwhile, NHS Shetland has confirmed that testing of frontline staff started at the end of last week.
In its latest update on Wednesday, the government said that 76 people in Scotland had died from coronavirus. There are a total of 2,310 cases in Scotland, 30 of which are in Shetland.
These are cumulative figures, which means that those who have contracted it early and have since recovered from the disease are also counted.
NHS Shetland chief executive Michael Dickson said ten key workers have been tested for coronavirus a day since the health board’s testing of frontline staff began last Thursday.
On Monday, Scotland’s chief medical officer Dr Catherine Calderwood confirmed during a press briefing in Edinburgh that such testing of NHS staff was now under way.
The UK has been criticised by health experts for the slow implementation of a testing regime for health and social care workers.
Dickson said: “Yes, we are testing NHS Shetland frontline staff. We have been working with occupational health to identify at risk and key workers who would benefit from testing.
“To date we have tested ten people a day since last week Thursday, 26 March. This isn’t an ‘on request test’ as it’s based on need and in line with the national guidance.”
The health board chief added that the two new cases confirmed yesterday (Tuesday) were not in care homes.
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