FURTHER cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in Scotland, according to the Scottish Government.
The patients, who are from the Forth Valley, Greater Glasgow and Grampian areas, are all known contacts of previously confirmed cases.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said all three are "currently clinically well and are receiving appropriate clinical care".
Yesterday two new cases were confirmed in Ayrshire and the Grampian area, and one had been confirmed in Tayside earlier in the week. The number of cases in Scotland now stands at six.
All had recently travelled to affected areas or been in contact with those who had.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said she could not say yet if the new cases of Covid-19 were linked to the first one north of the border, in Tayside.
Officials were informed of the new cases overnight, Freeman said.
Scotland's Chief Medical Officer Dr Catherine Calderwood said the new coronavirus patients are from the Forth Valley, Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Grampian areas and are all contacts of known cases.
In a statement, Dr Calderwood said: "Scotland is well equipped to deal with this kind of infection and we are doing everything we can to contain the virus at this stage and minimise the risk to the public.
"Clinicians are now conducting contact tracing, the process of gathering details of the places those who have tested positive visited and the people they have been in contact with.
"Close contact involves either face-to-face contact or spending more than 15 minutes within two metres of an infected person. The risk is very low in situations where someone may have passed a patient on the street or in a shop.
"Health protection teams will contact those who are at risk from the current cases - those who are not contacted are not at risk."
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon yesterday sought to reassure people that all appropriate measures to deal with the outbreak are being taken, but warned there may be a "rapid rise" in cases of the illness.
She said: “The assurance for the public is that health protection teams working on this have all the information they need to make sure that patients are given the appropriate care they need but also that contact tracing is done quickly and robustly and those processes are already under way.”
Symptoms of the coronavirus, or Covid-19, include a cough, a high temperature and shortness of breath.
To help slow the spread of the infection, the public is advised to wash hands frequently for at least 20 seconds, always wash hands when you arrive at home or at work, or use hand sanitizers where soap and water is not available.
If you sneeze or cough you should cover your mouth or nose with a tissue or your sleeve. used tissues should be binned straight away, and you should then wash your hands.
Also try to avoid contact with those who are unwell.
Finally, avoid touching your face with unclean hands.
If you are concerned you have the coronavirus, you can use the NHS's 111 service. The service is available for those with conerns, those who have travelled to high-risk countries in the last 14 days, or you've been in close contact with someone with coronavirus.
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