SOME cancer patients in Scotland are being asked to delay treatment to avoid the risks of exposure to the coronavirus as it takes hold across the country. 

It comes as a patient in Lothian became the first to die in Scotland from the virus, while football matches were cancelled and Edinburgh Airport warned it faces “close to zero” passenger demand for the next three months. 

And last night a newborn baby in England was reported to be the world’s youngest victim to test positive for coronavirus. 

The child’s mother was rushed to hospital in Middlesex days ago with suspected pneumonia but her positive result was only known after the birth. The pair are being treated in separate hospitals.

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The Scottish Government has previously admitted it would look to cancel some planned operations such as hip and knee replacements in an attempt to free up hospital beds and double intensive care capacity as the crisis escalates. 

But officials have repeatedly insisted cancer treatments would “carry on as normal”. 

However, The Herald is aware of some patients in Glasgow being advised by doctors to postpone chemotherapy because it would put them at greater risk of serious complications if they contracted the virus while their immune system is weakened. 

But they also face the dilemma that tumours could grow or spread. 

The risk is particularly acute for patients with blood cancers such as leukaemia or lymphoma; patients undergoing chemotherapy or who have had chemotherapy in the past three months; patients on immunotherapy drugs or protein kinase inhibitors; lung cancer patients receiving radical radiotherapy; or cancer patients who have had bone or stem cell transplants in the past six months. 

A spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said it had “not cancelled any specific treatment or therapy”, adding that clinical decisions would be taken on an individual basis. 

She added: “Due to the current risks associated with Covid-19, patients may be contacted about deferring their treatment or having appointments via telephone or video consultation.”

There is confusion about the best guidance for cancer patients in the current crisis. 

A spokeswoman for the European Society for Medical Oncology said: “As research is still ongoing we do not have a position yet but expect to do so in the near future.”

However, she referred The Herald to a position statement published on March 9 by the Italian Association of Medical Oncology, which acknowledged that “operational difficulties related to the workload of the healthcare staff” meant “it may be necessary to defer part of the planned activity for cancer patients”.

Italy has been hit hardest by the virus in Europe so far, but there are fears the UK is lagging only weeks behind.

The statement added: “In the case of patients under active treatment, it seems appropriate to evaluate and discuss case by case any postponement of access to the treatment, based on the relationship between the risks [for the individual and for the community] related to hospital access and the benefits expected from the treatment itself.”

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Scotland has increased from 60 to 85, with the UK total reaching 798.

A student at St Andrews University, who had fallen ill shortly after a trip to Switzerland, is among the new cases in Scotland

Scotland’s chief medical officer Dr Catherine Calderwood said she was “saddened to report” that an older patient with underlying health conditions had died after testing positive for Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus.

Ms Calderwood said: “I am saddened to report that a patient in Scotland who has tested positive for coronavirus has died in hospital. I offer my deepest sympathy to their friends and family at this difficult time.

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“The patient, who was being treated by Lothian health board, was an older person who had underlying health conditions. No further information will be available to protect patient confidentiality.”

Confirmation of the first death in Scotland came after the SPFL announced the postponement of all fixtures with immediate effect, including tomorrow’s league 
match between Rangers and Celtic at Ibrox.

It comes as the Scottish Government prepares to ban all mass gatherings of 500 people or more from Monday to free up police and ambulance staff for frontline work.

The Scottish FA said it had made the decision to suspend games in the interests of the health and safety of players, match officials, staff, supporters and the public.

Neil Doncaster, SPFL chief executive, said while there are currently no confirmed cases of coronavirus amongst players in Scotland, the nature of the outbreak meant it seems “only a matter of time” until there are.

A newborn baby in England has become the world’s youngest victim to test positive for coronavirus. 

The child’s mother was rushed to hospital days ago with suspected pneumonia but her positive result was only known after the birth.

The pair are being treated at separate hospitals with the mother being cared for at North Middlesex Hospital.

After doctors learned of the mother’s positive result, the baby was tested very soon after its arrival, according to The Sun. 

Doctors are trying to establish how the newborn contracted the virus, either through the womb or during birth.  

The World Health Organisation has named Europe as the new centre of the epidemic as the spread of the virus continues to decline in Asia. 

Professor Jason Leitch, who is responsible for planning in the Scottish NHS, said more “draconian measures” such as closing borders, stopping travel and halting public transport would risk creating further problems in the future.

On the potential for school closures, Mr Leitch said they are “not necessarily going to happen” as he explained children having to be looked after and their apparent lower contagion are two key reasons for not shutting them at this stage.

Questions have been raised over the UK’s delay strategy as countries such as Ireland, France, Spain and Germany pursue tougher lockdowns, including closures of schools, shops, cinemas and museums, and bans on large public gatherings. 

Labour’s Jonathan Ashworth called on the UK Government to disclose the data that lay behind its decisions to maintain public confidence.

SNP MP Ian Blackford told The Herald: “There are genuine questions to be asked about why the measures of the UK are divergent from other European nations.”

Jeremy Hunt, Former UK health secretary and chairman of the House 
of Commons Health Select Committee, said the decision not to cancel 
large gatherings was “surprising and concerning”.

The UK’s chief scientific adviser defended the Government’s approach. Sir Patrick Vallance said it was not looking to “suppress” the disease entirely but to help create a “herd immunity in the UK” while protecting the most vulnerable from it.

Asked if there is a fear that clamping down too hard on its spread could see it return, Sir Patrick said: “That is exactly the risk you would expect from previous epidemics.

“If you suppress something very, very hard, when you release those measures it bounces back and it bounces back at the wrong time.

“Our aim is to try and reduce the peak, broaden the peak, not suppress it completely; also, because the vast majority of people get a mild illness, to build up some kind of herd immunity so more people are immune to this disease and we reduce the transmission, at the same time we protect those who are most vulnerable to it.”

Sir Patrick said it is “eye-catching” to order the cancellation of mass gatherings and sporting events but that the chances of contracting the disease by attending such occasions are slim.