29 May 2020

Test and Protect is NHS Scotland’s approach to controlling the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the community.

It involves those with symptoms, including a new continuous cough, fever or loss or change of smell or taste, booking a test and isolating during this time with their household. If they have a positive test result, they will be asked to provide details of all recent close contacts to NHS contact tracers. Those people will be contacted and asked to isolate for 14 days.

Anyone in Scotland aged five or over, who is self-isolating because they are showing symptoms should be tested through the national testing programme by visiting nhsinform.scot/coronavirus or by calling 0800 028 2816 if cannot get online. Further information about the national testing programme can be found on the Scottish Government website.

NHS Borders started contact tracing today (28 May), which will be carried out by our COVID-19 Contact Tracing Team.

What is contact tracing?

Contact tracing is a process of identifying people who have had close contact with someone who has COVID-19. Contact tracers will ask people to identify others who they’ve been in close contact with and places they’ve been 48 hours prior to the onset of symptoms up to the time when they isolated.

This will identify people who may be at risk of being infected by the person as a result of being for example:

  • Members of the same household
  • In direct face to face contact for any length of time (e.g. within 1 metre or having been coughed on or having a face to face conversation or unprotected physical skin to skin contact). This also includes travelling in a small vehicle such as a car or van
  • Within 2 metres  of another person for 15 minutes or more

People who have had close contact with the person who has tested positive will then be asked to self-isolate for 14 days.

How will contact tracing work?

People who have received a positive test result for COVID-19 will be contacted by a member of our team. We have around nine contact tracers working per shift with the service operating seven days per week. Our contact tracers will ask a series of questions to understand who the person with COVID-19 has spent time with in their infectious period and where. Tracers will then call these people to offer appropriate advice (e.g. on self-isolation and testing). Confidentiality will be maintained during this process.

Support

Information about how to get additional support can be found on the Ready Scotland website, or if needed, the National Assistance Helpline can be contacted on 0800 111 4000, or via textphone on 0800 111 4114. The Contact Tracing Team will also signpost people requiring any help to local Scottish Borders support resources.

What to do if you have symptoms of Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Anyone with symptoms consistent with COVID-19, however mild, should self-isolate for 7 days. Those aged five or over with symptoms should be tested which can be booked online at nhsinform.scot/coronavirus or by calling 0800 028 2816 if you can’t get online.

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are new:

  • continuous cough
  • Fever / high temperature (37.8°C or greater)
  • loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste (anosmia)

A new continuous cough is where you:

  • have a new cough that’s lasted for an hour
  • have had 3 or more episodes of coughing in 24 hours
  • are coughing more than usual

A high temperature is feeling hot to the touch on your chest or back (you don’t need to measure your temperature). You may feel warm, cold or shivery.

If your symptoms worsen during home isolation or are no better after 7 days then you should phone NHS 24 on 111. You should not call your GP practice regarding Coronavirus symptoms. If the NHS 24 healthcare professional you speak to via 111 deems that you require further clinical assessment following their triage over the phone, you will be directed to the appropriate care locally.

If you need a sick note due to coronavirus, please don’t contact your GP or NHS 24. You can download a sick/isolation note directly from the NHS Inform website.

Full guidance and information is available on NHS Inform’s coronavirus page - www.nhsinform.scot/coronavirus