Scots GPs issued with face masks as coronavirus crisis escalates

GP surgeries across Scotland have been issued with paper face masks as part of an NHS strategy to deal with a possible outbreak of coronavirus.

The masks have been sent in batches to medical centres and GPs amid concerns it’s a matter of time before cases spread here.

Sixteen people in Scotland have so far been tested for the deadly virus and given the all-clear.

One practice in the south side of Glasgow said it had been sent 50 paper masks and told they should be used in the event of staff coming into contact with anyone suspected of carrying the virus.

A member of staff said: “We’ve been sent paper masks and it took everyone a bit by surprise but we will do anything we can to contain the virus should cases be discovered here.”

A Scottish Government ­spokeswoman said: “A supply of face masks has been made available to GP surgeries as a precautionary measure. These are being made available only as a contingency. The use of face masks in this way is established procedure and has been used previously as a preventative measure.

“The NHS in Scotland is well equipped to deal with infections such as Wuhan novel coronavirus. We have a proven track record of dealing with challenging health issues, and have been preparing since the beginning of the outbreak in Wuhan.”

Packs of disposable masks are now among the fastest-selling items online as fears over the spread of the virus increase.

Despite the rise in sales, health officials have raised doubts over the effectiveness of masks to protect against the virus.

Dr Jake Dunning, head of ­emerging infections and zoonoses at Public Health England (PHE), said: “Face masks play a very important role in clinical settings, such as hospitals. However, there is very little evidence of widespread benefit from their use outside of these clinical settings.

“People concerned about the transmission of infectious diseases would do better to prioritise good personal, respiratory and hand hygiene.”

Two people out of the 203 tested in the UK have so far been diagnosed with coronavirus, and it emerged yesterday that one is a student at the University of York.

PHE said the risk of the infection spreading at the campus was low, as the student did not have any contact there while they had symptoms.

A spokesman for the university said: “We understand this development will cause concern and anxiety among our students, staff and the wider community.

“PHE has advised us the risk of infection being passed to others on campus is low. Current information from PHE suggests the student did not come into contact with anybody on campus whilst they had symptoms, but investigations are ongoing to establish this. Our immediate concerns are for the affected student and family, along with the health and continued wellbeing of our staff, students and visitors.”

The two patients – who are Chinese nationals and members of the same family – are being treated by Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in its specialist Airborne High Consequences Infectious Disease Centre (HCID).

Professor Sharon Peacock said PHE was contacting people who had close contact – defined as being within two metres of the infected person for 15 minutes – with the pair.

Tests are also being carried out on 83 Britons beginning a fortnight in quarantine after evacuation from China. One of them, Matt Raw, filmed a video clip inside the four-bedroom apartment where he is being housed with his wife and mother as well as another woman with her daughter.

The apartments are normally used as nurses’ accommodation at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral. He said: “There’s an army of ­people here looking after us extremely well. We’re allowed to have contact with anybody within the facility as long as we’re wearing face masks. We can go outside and get some fresh air.

“Frankly, as far as I’m concerned, a tent on Salisbury Plain would have been fine. We’re all both tickety and boo, in that order. We’re just waiting.”

Chinese student in Scotland calls for greater tolerance

A Chinese student at the University of Glasgow has called for tolerance during the coronavirus outbreak.

Speaking during a question and answer session at the university, he said: “Yesterday when I went down the street I was shouted at from a car.

“I didn’t really hear the content at the time but probably it is related to the coronavirus.

“But the thing is it’s not the time to point fingers. We are a more vulnerable community during this period, because we’re here to study for a long time.”

Thousands of Chinese students are studying at Scotland’s universities. Applications from Chinese students to the 15 institutions in Scotland rose tenfold in the decade from 2009.

In 2019, there were 5,370 applicants, compared to 580 a decade earlier.

According to the 2011 Census, 33,706 people living in Scotland selected Chinese as part of their national identity.

The Foreign Office has warned against all but essential travel to China, and against all travel to Hubei province.

Meanwhile, airlines around the world, including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, have suspended flights to mainland China and are offering refunds.