Professor Sir Harry Burns is to assist the Scottish Government in preparing for a potential second wave of covid-19 cases.

The former chief medical officer will chair an expert group monitoring a “range of public health threats” that could emerge in the “high-risk” autumn and winter months.

It came as doctors issued a warning that the NHS does not have enough beds to deal with a normal winter – let alone one with the added pressures of covid-19.

Ahead of Health Secretary Jeane Freeman being questioned by MSPs on Holyrood’s health committee tomorrow, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh said: ‘It is widely acknowledged that in a typical winter, the NHS and care system in Scotland “just about copes”.

‘This is without the added pressures of covid-19 and our Fellows have made clear that this needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.’

Interim CMO Dr Gregor Smith said “we must remain watchful” against the possibility of coronavirus returning, potentially in concert with other seasonal conditions such as flu.

Speaking yesterday, Dr Smith said: “One of the high-risk periods for will be during autumn and winter when other threats such as influenza will also begin to show. This is a time of year when there are also annual changes in the incidence of other diseases.

“So, this important group will examine these possibilities when considered together, providing evidence on steps that should be taken to give early warning of these concurrent risks and actions that should be taken to manage them.”

Yesterday saw no new confirmed covid-19 deaths, after just one death was announced over the weekend, taking the total under that measurement to 2,448. 

Speaking about the figures, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said fewer deaths were reported at weekends and warned there would “almost certainly” be more deaths in the coming days. 

More comprehensive figures published last week put the tally at 4,000, with a further update due tomorrow.

Overall there have been just over 18,000 virus cases confirmed through a test.

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