First Minister: New covid testing labs will be ready by end of the year
Nicola Sturgeon has insisted three new coronavirus testing laboratories will be ready by the end of the year.
The First Minister said Scotland will have the capacity to process 65,000 tests each day by December 31.
The creation of three new Covid-19 testing labs is a key part of the Scottish Government's plan to increase capacity and will help NHS Scotland process all of the country's care home tests.
Already pushed back from the initial October launch date, reports suggested the three labs may not all be ready by the revised opening date of December.
Allan Wilson, president of the Institute of Biomedical Science industry body for UK lab workers, told the paper neither the Edinburgh nor Aberdeen facilities will be ready this year.
Mr Wilson said: "Politicians should promise less and deliver more. There is a driven desire in a lot of politicians to give you the good news but sometimes you've just got to be realistic about what is actually deliverable.''
Speaking at Monday's coronavirus briefing, Ms Sturgeon said: "We said before that NHS Scotland is currently developing three new testing hubs in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow and there was some press speculation over the weekend about possible delays to these hubs.
"So I want to take the opportunity today to stress that all three of them are on track to open before the end of this year.
"As we speak, building work has been carried out and recruitment is taking place.''
She added: "These will enable NHS Scotland to process further 22,000 tests a day and will form an important part of our plans to increase daily testing capacity for Scotland overall to at least 65,000 by the end of the year.
"Among other things, these hubs will be able then to ensure that the NHS in Scotland processes all of our routine care home testings, which will help to ensure that we get these test results back as quickly as possible.''
Ms Sturgeon said the Scottish Government's efforts to increase testing capacity within NHS Scotland are "in addition to and entirely compatible with'' the work of the UK Government.
It has announced plans to create a major new testing laboratory in Scotland that is due to open early next year.
Up to 100,000 tests per day from across the UK could be processed at the planned hub.
Welcoming the announcement, Ms Sturgeon added: "We're working constructively with the UK Government in order to help with the establishment of that laboratory.''
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