Coronavirus: Edinburgh and Lothian Sainsbury's, Waitrose and Tesco stores running low on toilet rolls, eggs and UHT milk as COVID-19 spreads

Pictures taken on Friday also show that cleaning products, hand sanitiser and anti-bacterial wet wipes are still selling out as people continue to ‘panic buy.’

Pharmacists across the city are also displaying signs stating they are sold out of hand sanitiser and face masks.

It comes as the number of UK coronavirus cases rose by 48 to 163 today, with five more cases in Scotland including one in the Lothian health board area.

The UK’s first death linked to the virus came on Thursday after a woman with underlying health conditions in her 70s died in a hospital in Reading. It is understood tests for the virus are ongoing on a second patient – a man in his 80s – who has also died today.

Scotland’s chief medical officer, Dr Catherine Calderwood, has previously warned that there could be a "rapid rise" in the number of cases in the coming days.

Empty shelves in Edinburgh and Lothian shops

Pictures taken in Sainbury’s Linlithgow on Friday showed shelves cleared of toilet rolls, cleaning products, hand sanitiser and wet wipes.

Kitchen roll was also in very short supply at the Sainbury’s at Craigleith Retail Park.

Eggs appeared to have vanished in Tesco in Bathgate along with most of the long-life milk, although toilet roll seemed to be less of an issue here. Cleaning products, mainly surface sprays, were also limited in supply.

Hand sanitiser gel at Tesco Bathgate was also sold out and a sign on the shelf said the next delivery date would be Sunday, March 15th for one product.

Hand sanitiser in Co-op in Lothian Road had also gone, with other retailers in the area – including Boots and Superdrug – also selling out this week.

A Boots spokeswoman said previously there is a limit of two hand sanitisers per customer due to an increase in sales, in order to ensure as many people as possible have access to them.

Photographs also showed bare shelves in the toilet roll section of Waitrose Comely Bank on Friday afternoon.

Andrew Opie, director of Food & Sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, of which Sainsbury’s is a member, said: “Our members are working as hard as they can to ensure all consumers have access to the products they need. Even where there are challenges, retailers are well-versed in providing effective measures to keep retail sites running smoothly, and we are working with suppliers to ensure this continues. Retailers are taking necessary steps to meet the rise in demand for certain hygiene and long-life products.”

A Waitrose spokeswoman said: “We are seeing more demand for some products. We are working closely with our suppliers to ensure that we have stock available. We aren't putting any limits on purchases at this time.”

Tesco has also been approached for comment.

Fountainbridge and Craiglockhart councillor, David Key, also tweeted a picture of the Paton and Finlay pharmacist in Brutnsfield with signs up on the door saying: “We don’t have any hand sanitiser, sorry.

“Face masks out of stock.”

Another twitter user posted a picture of empty shelves in Asda Chesser which would usually be filled with handwash and sanitiser products.

Coronavirus Symptoms

Coronavirus is a respiratory disease which seems to start with a fever, followed by a dry cough. After a week it leads to shortness of breath and some patients require hospital treatment.

In more severe cases, coronavirus can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, multiple organ failure and even death.

Those with weakened immune systems - older people and those with underlying health conditions like asthma or heart disease - are more likely to become severely ill.

The World Health Organisation says the incubation period lasts up to 14 days.

As it's a new illness, it is unclear how exactly coronavirus spreads from person to person, but similar viruses are spread by droplets in coughs and sneezes.

Protecting yourself against coronavirus

The Scottish Government website offers the following advice from NHS Inform to help reduce the risk of getting and spreading respiratory infections by:

Avoiding direct hand contact with your eyes, nose and mouth

Maintaining good hand hygiene - washing hands with soap and water or alcohol sanitiser: After coughing or sneezing; going to toilet; before eating and drinking.

Avoiding direct contact with people that have respiratory illness and avoid using their personal items such as mobile phones.

Covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing with disposable tissues and disposing of them in the nearest waste bin after use.

Anyone who thinks they may be affected by coronavirus should call the NHS 111 phone service for further advice. They should not go to their GP or to A&E.

According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, there have been more than 98,000 cases of coronavirus worldwide with over 3,380 deaths.

The outbreak originated in China's Hubei province in December before spreading globally.