No further cases of the new Brazilian coronavirus variant have been identified in Scotland, health officials have said.
The three Scottish residents who initially tested positive for the variant remain the only cases to test positive for this strain.
All three self-isolated in managed quarantine organised by their employer on arrival in Scotland for the required period of 10 days.
Active contact tracing of passengers on the flight has now ceased, but we are still asking anyone on flight BA1312 from London Heathrow to Aberdeen on 29 January who has not yet been contacted to call the national contact tracing centre on 0800 030 8012.
Heath Secretary, Jeane Freeman, said she is grateful to health protection teams, local clinicians and contact tracers for their efforts to ensure all the remaining passengers were contacted.
She added: “As at 0930 on March 6, 69 individuals have been successfully contacted out of the of the 90 people, including 3 crew, who were on flight BA1312 from London Heathrow to Aberdeen on 29 January.
“Since sequencing of the P1 variant was confirmed on 27 February, enhanced contact tracing has identified around 300 further contacts or contacts of contacts who, where appropriate, were offered testing on a precautionary basis and advised to self-isolate.
“We have used all available options and done everything possible to contact all passengers, including referring to flight manifests and telephone information from the Community Health Index to make contact. Some passengers only have international telephone numbers so it is possible they are no longer in Scotland.”
The health secretary continued by stating that the Covid vaccination programme is one of the three key ways to beat this virus, along with expanded testing programmes and lockdown restrictions.
She added: “These three strands, following expert advice and guidance to suppress the virus, using our expanded testing programme to identify cases and break chains of transmission and rolling out vaccination as fast as supplies allow, are the three critical actions that will see us move, step by step, to protect the public, save lives and a brighter year ahead.”
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