Patients and staff at an Edinburgh hospital “dropped like flies” after an outbreak of COVID-19 on a ward was sparked by a patient not being screened for the virus before arriving from another facility, it has been claimed.

Medics at the Capital’s Western General were not permitted to access personal protective equipment (PPE) until two days after an initial test revealed a woman did have the virus, despite being admitted to the ward days earlier.

The Guardian reported 18 staff and 16 patients also tested positive as a result of the outbreak - though NHS Lothian denies the patient displayed symptoms prior to her admission.

According to the newspaper, the woman was admitted to the Western from another hospital on Friday, April 3, but by the following Monday, April 6, had tested positive for the disease.

Staff noted that a cough she had displayed quickly became more severe, though it was not until April 9 - six days after her initial arrival - that masks were approved for constant use.

By April 14, a source claimed, over 20 staff members and patients were either confirmed or displaying symptoms of coronavirus.

The source also told how some staff were “scrounging” to get access to appropriate PPE, while other basic items including bed pans and linen were in short supply.

The ward was shut down on April 15 for deep cleaning - a full 12 days after the patient arrived.

NHS Lothian medical director Dr Tracey Gillies said staff followed ‘NHS policy’ at the time of the admission.

She told The Guardian: “The ward was kept under strict observation and staff had access to and wore the correct PPE which was appropriate to the situation. A further two cases were recorded on the ward and it was closed to further admission.

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“As this occurred during a period of sustained community transmission, it is not possible to know the source involved in each individual case, nor the length of time someone has carried the infection before becoming symptomatic.

“Recommendations for staff testing applied only to those with symptoms and, as such, staff were not tested at the same time that the patient developed symptoms. This remains the current national guidance."