ONE of the nine new coronavirus cases confirmed in Scotland is the first to have been transmitted in the community.

The number of people who have now tested positive for Covid-19 in the country has increased by a third to 36 people, up from 27 on Tuesday.

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After an update at 2pm yesterday, chief medical officer Dr Catherine Calderwood issued a statement confirming the case was unrelated to contact or travel. She said: “We have identified the first case of community transmission in Scotland, which is unrelated to contact or travel. This was identified through our enhanced surveillance scheme.

“This case was to be expected and highlights the importance of the additional measures we have put in place to identify positive cases beyond self-identification.”

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The latest figures were released hours after Health Secretary Jeane Freeman told BBC Radio Scotland that community transmission cases were to be expected “shortly”.

NHS Lothian has eight confirmed cases, while there are six in NHS Grampian and five in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

A further four cases have been detected in Lanarkshire, as well as three in Ayrshire and Arran and two each in NHS Borders, NHS Fife, NHS Forth Valley, NHS Shetland and NHS Tayside.

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Freeman warned the health service may need to draft in thousands of trainee doctors and nurses to cope with staff absence rates of up to 30% resulting from the outbreak.

She said the Scottish Government is looking to double the number of intensive care units available due to the spread of the virus, which will be achieved by making “difficult decisions” to scale down elective work such as hip and knee replacement surgeries.

Freeman said NHS modelling showed the virus could result in an absence rate of between 25% and 30% among staff – who are at “greater risk” of contracting the disease as a result of caring for infected patients, even with protective equipment.

To help cope with staff shortages, the NHS is looking at how recently retired staff can return to work, with Freeman also saying there are “something like 3000 available nursing students” as well as year five medical students to call upon.

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She said in stepping up they would only be asked to do what they are trained to do and no more but they could play an “important role” in caring for those who become sick.

The Health Secretary added: “There will be difficulties and all of us, the way we live our lives is going to change for a period of time. People need to think about in what way they can offer additional help to their neighbours or their families, while we try to make sure that professional help that is there ... to protect those who are most vulnerable and care for those who become sickest.”