Boss's plea over fears Scotland could lose crucial kit

I have relatives working in the NHS in Edinburgh and I’d love for it to be used here. But if other people want to buy from us, we need to help them too

- John Ferguson

Scotland is in danger of missing out on a Covid-19 antibody test developed in a laboratory just 10 miles from Holyrood.

The Scottish Government has been in talks with blood analysis firm Quotient over the game-changing kit, which is 99.8 per cent accurate.

However, the company in Penicuik, Midlothian, is also locked in negotiations with other European countries and the United States.

NHS Scotland faces losing out on one of the firm’s 12 testing machines unless a deal can be struck soon.

Quotient claims its world-leading diagnostics system can deliver 3000 results which tell whether someone has had coronavirus and is unlikely to catch it again or infect others.

Antibody tests have been described as “game-changing” by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The UK Government last week announced it had bought 10 million kits from, Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche and US-based Abbott, which will be used south of the Border.

But while the Scot t ish Government has held talks with Quotient, officials are yet to sign a contract, despite a limited number of testing machines being available.

Opposition politicians yesterday urged Health Secretary Jeane Freeman to make a quick decision on whether to place an order.

It comes as 16 more hospital patients who tested positive for Covid-19 died, taking the total to 2261 deaths in Scotland by that measure. Official figures also confirmed 15,041 people have had the virus, an increase of 72 from Friday.

Quotient’s chief operating officer Ed Farrell has said orders for the “scarce resource” are filling up fast, with talks underway in several countries.