Three new coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Scotland, taking the total to six.

The patients are from Forth Valley, Great Glasgow and Clyde, and Grampian areas and are all clinically well and receiving appropriate care.

All three new cases are contacts of known cases, the Scottish Government confirmed.

The cases take the current confirmed total across the UK to 90, after the biggest day-on-day increase in UK coronavirus cases of 36 was reported on Wednesday.

Officials have warned a UK epidemic is looking "likely".

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Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Catherine Calderwood said: “With all these cases, our thoughts are with those diagnosed and their families. Scotland is well equipped to deal with this kind of infection and we are doing everything we can to contain the virus at this stage and minimise the risk to the public.

“Clinicians are now conducting contact tracing, the process of gathering details of the places those who have tested positive visited and the people they have been in contact with.

“Close contact involves either face-to-face contact or spending more than 15 minutes within two metres of an infected person. The risk is very low in situations where someone may have passed a patient on the street or in a shop.

“Health protection teams will contact those who are at risk from the current cases – those who are not contacted are not at risk.

“We can all play our part to limit the spread of the virus by washing our hands frequently for 20 seconds as well as always carrying tissues and using them to catch coughs and sneezes, then putting the tissue in a bin, and don’t touch your face.”

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