Home   News   Article

Worse still to come, warns Sturgeon


By Alistair Whitfield

Easier access to your trusted, local news. Subscribe to a digital package and support local news publishing.



Click here to sign up to our free newsletters!
Nicola Sturgeon
Nicola Sturgeon

Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed there is "worse still to come" before Scotland turns the corner and defeats coronavirus.

The First Minister warned that the trend over the past 10 days is of a "rapid increase in the number of cases.

She also presented Dr Gregor Smith who will succeed Dr Catherine Calderwood as chief medical officer.

Dr Calderwood resigned yesterday after admitting travelling to her second home over two consecutive weekends – in direct contradiction to the advice she had been giving the nation.

Ms Sturgeon also wished Prime Minister Boris Johnson well after he was admitted to hospital as a precaution.

Ms Sturgeon noted that "the infection does not discriminate".

She said: "We expect these figures will confirm the trend that we have seen over the past 10 days or so of a rapid increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in Scotland and also sadly the number of deaths and unfortunately there is almost certainly worse still to come as we turn the corner of this virus.

"Following Catherine Calderwood's resignation last night Dr Gregor Smith has agreed to act as interim chief medical officer for the foreseeable future. It is fair to say that this has been a difficult 24 hours in Scotland.

"I know this is an issue that has been raised by many, just under six per cent of NHS Scotland staff are absent from work as a result of this virus and we continue to prioritise delivery of personal and protective equipment not simply to hospitals but also to care homes and to carers.

"As I have mentioned previously, more than six million pieces or personal protective equipment have been delivered to more than 1000 care homes and other locations across the country.

"More broadly we are in close contact with the care inspectorate to understand how Covid-19 is affecting the delivery of care across Scotland.

"We have also set up a dedicated contact point for frontline professionals to raise any concerns they might have about the availability of PPE."

Click here for news from Moray


Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.



This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More