Nicola Sturgeon said during a visit to an NHS 24 centre in Glasgow that the public should be reassured that all appropriate steps are being taken

Nicola Sturgeon warned that “many more” people in Scotland will contract coronavirus after five new cases were confirmed, bringing the total north of the border to six.

The latest cases — in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Forth Valley, Ayrshire and Grampian areas — were confirmed following the tracing of contacts of people known to be infected with the virus.

Scotland’s first patient, in Tayside, was said yesterday to work for Food Standards Scotland. The state-funded agency, based in Aberdeen, said: “We respect every patient’s right to confidentiality and would expect others to do the same.”

Dr Catherine Calderwood, Scotland’s chief medical officer, said: “Scotland is well equipped to deal with this kind of infection and we are doing everything we can