Image copyright Getty Images NHS field hospital sites in Scotland will be identified this week ahead of a predicted rapid rise in Covid-19 cases, the chief medical officer has said.
Dr Catherine Calderwod said she agreed with a senior medic who expects a coronavirus “tsunami” in coming weeks.
She said Scotland was looking to set up temporary hospitals similar to one planned for London.
Dr Calderwood also revealed that new distribution systems for protective equipment were being set up.
The ExCel exhibition centre space in East London is being prepared as a 4,000-bed field hospital, to be staffed by NHS medics with the help of the military, and there are reports that the NEC in Birmingham could take on a similar role.
Dr Calderwood said sites in Scotland for such facilities were “absolutely” being looked at.
She told BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland programme: “We have had quite detailed discussions very recently and I know that there are sites being considered in Scotland this week.”
The chief medical officer was asked about comments by the vice-president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Dr David Chung, who has warned that the dramatic explosion in coronavirus case numbers in London could be replicated in Scotland.
She said: “Unfortunately, the emergency medicine doctor is absolutely right. We have people with mild illness, as we know 80% of people – but up to 20% of people will have a much more significant illness.”
So far, there have been 22 deaths in Scotland, while across the UK 465 people with the virus have died.
‘Just a time issue’
Dr Calderwood said the lower Scottish death figure may simply reflect the time it takes for infected people to develop symptoms and become seriously ill.
“You can be ill for two to three weeks before you’re hospitalised,” she said.
“I’m worried that these low deaths are actually just because we haven’t had the virus in Scotland for as long as they have had it in England
“In other words, there hasn’t been enough time for people to get more unwell and hospitalised and onto that stage where they’re needing intensive care.
“This is probably just a time issue rather than a lower death rate per se.”
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