Asked to reveal what is the full coronavirus testing capacity in Scotland, the Scottish First Minister attempted to dodge the question by giving a convoluted answer on the different types of tests available in the UK. But Sky News host Sophy Ridge urged her: “What’s the capacity though? Just give a straight answer. What is the weekday capacity?” Nicola Sturgeon replied: “So on a weekday taking all the different capacity it will be between 30,000 and 40,000 tests a day.”
The answer shocked the Sky News host who confronted the SNP leader on the evident huge failure of her Government.
Ms Ridge blasted: “Just looking at the tests carried out in Scotland, on Monday it was 15,000, Tuesday 13,000, Wednesday 17,000, Thursday 18,000, Friday 18,000.
“When we know the R rate is rising in Scotland and infections are rising, and the virus is spreading, why on earth aren’t you using the full testing capacity?
“You’re using less than half of the testing capacity.
“If you’re using less than half testing capacity when the R rate is going up, and infections are going up, it doesn’t sound like a world-beating system to me!”
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The First Minister explained Scotland was preparing the spare capacity for winter as they expect to see more people with symptoms.
When asked if she had lost control of the virus in Scotland, Ms Sturgeon told Sophy Ridge on Sky: “No, absolutely not, we’re working hard to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
The First Minister said that while the virus was “spreading a little bit faster”, the number of cases per 100,000 are the lowest in the four nations.
“That is because over the summer we suppressed the virus… That doesn’t mean we can be complacent about it, or not take it very seriously.
“It shows we were right to do that over the summer and I think we’re right now to act quickly and decisively to try and stop that increase in cases.”
Asked why the virus was spreading in Scotland Ms Sturgeon said: “We suppressed the virus to very low levels because of lockdown and lifted lockdown a little bit more slowly…
— to www.express.co.uk
