Coronavirus: Two more cases confirmed in Scotland as UK total hits 53
Two more cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Scotland, the country’s health secretary Jeane Freeman has said, bringing the UK’s total number of cases to 53.
Speaking to the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme, Freeman said the total number of cases in Scotland was now three.
She added that she could not confirm whether the cases were linked to the Tayside case, which was diagnosed earlier this week.
Freeman said: “There are a number of steps that we need to go through with the patients concerned and other matters before we can release any level of information, partly it’s about patient confidentiality, partly it’s about making sure that we get the right clinical responses to cases.
“So later in the day, we will be able to let you and others know, but at this point all I can confirm is that we have two more cases, bringing the total to three.”
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Yesterday the world’s markets tumbled after the US Federal Reserve made a shock 50 basis point cut to interest rates, the first emergency cut since the 2008 financial crisis.
The move failed to soothe anxious investors, who continued to sell to limit their exposure to the virus.
The FTSE was jittery this morning as investors weighed whether the European Central Bank (ECB) and other governments are likely to introduce stimulus measures in a bid to soften the economic blow of the outbreak.
Traders now see it as overwhelmingly likely that the ECB will cut interests next week, and are waiting to see if the Bank of England will follow suit.
Yesterday, the World Bank pledged $12bn in emergency aid for developing countries grappling with the outbreak, while the G7 nations said they were “ready to act”.