Covid in Scotland: Appeal for 'Brazilian strain flight' passenger data

Passengers on a flight which carried three oil workers who tested positive for the Brazilian variant of Covid-19 have been urged to come forward.

They flew into Aberdeen from Brazil, via Paris and London.

Health chiefs want to trace everyone on the BA flight 1312 Heathrow to Aberdeen on 29 January.

They said some passengers did not provide up-to-date contact details they want them to get in touch with the National Contact Tracing Centre.

Meanwhile Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said two of the three individuals who tested positive required "a level of hospital treatment".

She also said there was a connection to a local school and testing has also taken place for those potentially exposed.

She said "all necessary precautions" have been taken and there was currently no evidence of community spread.

NHS Grampian said: "Following the detection of three cases of a Covid-19 variant of concern in Grampian, the National Contact Tracing Centre is working hard to trace all passengers.

"Given not all the data they have received is correct, they are asking anyone on that flight who did not provide up-to-date contact details to call the NHS National Contact Tracing Centre on 0800 030 8012."

Experts believe the variant (P1) - first detected in northern Brazil in January - could be more contagious.

Three other cases have also been detected in England, but they are not linked to the Scottish cases.

Jillian Evans, head of health intelligence at NHS Grampian, said the three Scottish travellers had arrived before new rules on hotel quarantine came into force.