An expert group set up to assess hospital transmission of covid-19 will decide on whether to back routine testing of all health workers in “the coming weeks”.

Just under 900 Scottish NHS staff are thought to have contracted covid-19 in hospital, Health Secretary Jeane Freeman revealed yesterday.

MSPs were told “unvalidated” data shows there are 894 confirmed and suspected cases among health staff linked to 125 different incidents in hospitals.

This in addition to the 901 patients who potentially contracted covid-19 in hospital, comprising 870 confirmed cases and 31 suspected cases, of which 218 died.

Earlier today, interim chief medical officer Dr Gregor Smith said the “case is very split” on whether routine testing of workers without symptoms could have prevented some of these deaths.

MSPs on Holyrood’s covid-19 committee were told that test results could be inaccurate in the period before someone develops symptoms and starts to shed the virus. Dr Smith cautioned that tests done  incorrectly could also lead to false reassurance.

An expert group will decide whether to recommend routine testing of all staff, including those without symptoms, “in the coming weeks”, he said.

Speaking yesterday Ms Freeman stressed figures on hospital infections were “far from definitive” because it is difficult to identify when someone contracted the virus.

The Scottish Government had faced criticism after disclosing there had been 125 incidents of nosocomial covid-19 transmission, which is when an infection is acquired in hospital, but not revealing this number related to 901 individual patients.

She told the chamber: “Details of the total number of covid-19 cases and deaths in each national health service board are published daily. Last week, we published initial unvalidated data on the number of suspected nosocomial covid-19 incidents.

“The challenge is that, in all the data on nosocomial infection, it is not yet clear whether the individuals involved contracted the infection in the community prior to admission or in hospital.

Ms Freeman added: “[The] position is very far from being definitive at the moment, not least due to the long incubation period of covid-19, as is recognised by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.”

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