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NHS Lothian has opened a "drive-thru" coronavirus testing centre in Edinburgh, allowing people to be seen by professionals while sitting in their cars.

Some patients will be able to drive onto the Western General hospital campus in the west of the city to access the service, which is available by appointment only.

So far 500 people have been tested for coronavirus in Scotland - all have come back negative.

On Friday, it was announced that a British national had died from the Covid-19 virus after being infected on the Diamond Pricness cruise liner in Japan.

There are 20 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK.

NHS Lothian is stepping up preparations for the virus amid fears it will spread further.

The "drive-thru" style facility is designed to complement the existing community-testing service where trained teams test patients in their own home. It will reduce the risk of the virus spreading en route to hospital.

Patients who are given an appointment will be asked to drive directly to the testing area, without speaking to anyone else on the route.

They will be met by specially trained healthcare professionals in protective clothing, who will ask them to wind down the window of their car.

A painless throat swab will be taken and the patient will be given information on self-isolation and asked to remain at home. Results will be returned as soon as possible, usually within 24 hours.

Dr Tracey Gillies, medical director at NHS Lothian, said: “This service is for patients who have been assessed by the specialist team so it is an appointment-only service. It is not a drop-in clinic and it is important to stress that patients cannot be seen without an appointment.

“The drive-through facility and the community testing teams allow us to test patients without them coming into healthcare facilities.

“Patients will be referred on by their GP or NHS 24 if they are at risk of the virus and meet the clinical criteria.

"They will then be referred on to our teams, who will decide whether they need to be tested in their own homes or if they are well enough and can use their own transport to drive to the Western General Hospital.”

Common symptoms of coronavirus include:

• high temperature or fever

• cough

• shortness of breath

You can find more advice on Covid-19 on the NHS Inform website.