Coronavirus testing to be expanded in Scotland

Coronavirus testing is to be extended in Scotland, with more tests in care homes and a widening of eligibility, the first minister has announced.

In future all residents and staff will be tested in any care home where there has been an outbreak.

Over 65-year-olds with symptoms and their households will now be eligible for the UK-wide test scheme.

Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland now has capacity to carry out 4,350 coronavirus tests a day in NHS laboratories.

The Scottish government had previously set a target of 3,500 NHS tests a day by the end of April.

Ms Sturgeon said there would be a gap between capacity and the number actual tested. On Thursday, a total of 2,537 tests were carried out at NHS labs.

The first minister said 40 people who had tested postive for Covid-19 had died in the past 24 hours, taking total deaths under that measure to 1,515.

The total number of confirmed cases now stands at 11,654, up 301 from Thursday. A total of 1,809 patients are in hospital, up 61, with 110 treated in intensive care, up one.

Two testing schemes are operating in parallel in Scotland - NHS testing and a UK government drive-through scheme that is operating at Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports as well as sites in Inverness and Perth.

Applications for the UK government scheme are made through an online portal, but as the health service is devolved it is up to the Scottish government to lay down the eligibility criteria.

Ms Sturgeon said this would be expanded to over-65s and to people who are not key workers, but who are required to leave home to go to work.

The first minister said the NHS laboratory testing capacity had risen from 350 a day before the outbreak to the current level of 4,350. She hoped it would rise to 8,000 by mid May.

On Thursday, the combined total of NHS and UK government scheme tests carried out stood at 4,661, while the combined testing capacity was 8,350.