A BORDERS care provider has warned about “unhelpful speculation” over the coronavirus outbreak in the Jedburgh area.

The outbreak, linked to SB Cares, was first announced on Monday and has since grown by four cases, reaching a total of 21.

A spokesperson for SB Cares said: “We are aware of unhelpful speculation about the source of the outbreak and we would ask members of the public to understand this is a difficult and upsetting situation for all those who are involved.

"We are required to respect patient and employee confidentiality and we are unable to comment on individual employees, or their private lives."

The statement came in response to a series of questions sent by the Border Telegraph to NHS Borders and Scottish Borders Council (the latter is responsible for SB Cares).

Q. How did this outbreak begin?

A. Joint statement from NHS Borders/SBC: “A joint Incident Management Team (IMT) led by NHS Borders and supported by Scottish Borders Council and SB Cares was established over the weekend.

“One of the functions of the IMT is to try and identify routes of transmission of the virus which includes assessing the information provided through Contact Tracing interviews by those who have tested positive.”

Q. When a carer tests positive, are clients and their families notified?

A. Joint response: “The identification of ‘close contacts’ has followed normal procedures, including the use of Contact Tracing interviews of the people who have been confirmed to have COVID-19 and the sharing of relevant information between SBC/SB Cares and NHS Borders.

Q. Are carers tested for COVID-19 regularly – how often?

A. An SB Cares spokesperson said: “Routine testing of SB Cares care home staff takes place on a weekly basis in line with national guidance.

“There is no equivalent guidance regarding the testing of home care staff, therefore they are tested when symptomatic.

“Additional, precautionary testing of the relevant Jedburgh home care team has taken place in this instance.”

Some questions were not answered by NHS Borders or SBC. Those questions are listed below.

  • In connection with this outbreak, when were symptoms first recorded?
  • Of the confirmed cases, how many are carers, how many are clients, and how many are family members?
  • When did the first case test positive?