Coronavirus in Lothians: Five new Covid-19 cases confirmed in Scotland with first in Lothian area

Five new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Scotland, including one in the Lothian area, taking the total to 11.

The new Covid-19 cases include two in Fife, and one each in Grampian, Forth Valley and Lothian health board areas, the Scottish Government said in an update.

It is the largest increase in a day since the first case in Scotland was confirmed in Tayside on Sunday evening.

Two cases were diagnosed in Ayrshire and Grampian on Wednesday, and three cases were confirmed in the Forth Valley, Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and Grampian health board areas on Thursday.

Confirmation of the latest cases in Scotland came as the UK Government said that as of 7am on Friday, there were 163 cases across Britain.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Thursday that the number of people with Covid-19 in Scotland is likely to rise "very rapidly".

Speaking at First Minister's Questions, she said: "We may not be able to contain the virus indefinitely, but every day we manage that and every week that we manage that, taking a future peak out of the winter period and into spring and summer, then we help to reduce the impact."

She also expressed confidence that Scotland's two coronavirus testing facilities in Glasgow and Edinburgh would be able to cope with the rising demand.

However discussions are ongoing about opening a further site in Tayside.

A total of 1,525 Scottish tests have been concluded, with 1,514 of them negative.

Scotland's chief medical officer Dr Catherine Calderwood has said the country is still in the containment phase.

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