THE NHS Louisa Jordan hospital at the SEC could be used to help the NHS deal with cases that have built up during lockdown.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was “delighted” not to have had to use it for coronavirus cases – but that it would be there for as long as it could be needed.

Sturgeon said it may be used for when the NHS is fully restarted and operations and procedures that were postponed are re-scheduled.

She added: “We should all be very thankful for the fact it hasn’t had to be used so far.”

Had it been used, she told MSPs, it would have meant the NHS was being overwhelmed and so many more people would have died from Covid-19.

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She added the temporary hospital would be “there for as long as we may need it”.

On the wider effort to get the NHS back up to speed, the First Minister added: “I can confirm that as part of the remobilisation plans we are looking at whether and to what extent we could use the NHS Louisa Jordan to do some elective treatment.

“We have to make sure we are protecting some capacity to deal with any surge in the virus while getting the NHS back to normal.

“But the NHS Louisa Jordan is part of our considerations.”

Sturgeon revealed that almost 750 people had been contacted and told they must self-isolate since the Test and Protect scheme got under way.

She said 741 contacts have been traced between the scheme being launched on May 28 and June 7, from 681 cases reported when a person tested positive for Covid-19.

Sturgeon said tracing has been completed for 481 of these cases and more are ongoing.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “Since May 28, contact tracers across the country have followed up each new positive test to ensure those who may have come into contact with the virus take steps to isolate.

“By doing so, we can break the chains of transmission while slowly changing lockdown measures.

Glasgow Times: Nicola Sturgeon Nicola Sturgeon

“The average number of people traced for each positive case reflects that we are still in phase one of lifting lockdown restrictions and people should not be mixing with large numbers of people outside of their own household.”

The latest weekly figures were also revealed, which show the number of deaths with coronavirus listed on the death certificate has reached 4000 in Scotland.

The statistics from the National Records of Scotland showed that in Glasgow there had been five deaths in the last week – the lowest weekly total since March 16. 

It takes the city’s total to 620 since the outbreak began.

In the past 24 hours the daily statistics showed another 12 cases reported across Scotland. 

There were 987 in hospital – a drop of 24.

In intensive care the number fell by three, down to 18.

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The First Minister revealed there had been 12 deaths reported with a positive test confirmed.

Meanwhile, the Chief Medical Officer said that the two-metre rule was the best policy amid some calls for it to be reduced to one metre as in several other countries.

Dr Gregor Smith said reducing the two-metres guidance would put people at “much greater risk”. 

Dr Smith said the “highly transmissible” virus is more easily spread than influenza and the scientific advice is that keeping two metres away from others is the “best balance”.