Coronavirus: Edinburgh Boots, Superdrug and Sainsbury's branches among stores sold out of hand sanitiser as COVID-19 spreads

Demand has surged for the hygiene product as the number of UK cases of coronavirus rose from 39 to 51 on Tuesday.

Major retailers and pharmacy chains in Edinburgh are selling out of hand sanitiser as demand rockets with the spread of coronavirus in the UK.

It comes after the first case of COVID-19 in Scotland was confirmed at the weekend, with the UK Government warning today that up to a fifth of the UK workforce could be off sick at the same time at virus peak.

Many stores in Edinburgh have been running out of hand sanitiser gel and anti-bacterial wet wipes over the last couple of days, as pictures emerged of empty shelves at large Boots and Superdrug outlets in Edinburgh.

Pictures show the empty shelves in Boots and Superdrug stores at Craigleith Retail Park on Tuesday afternoon. Pictures: Lisa Ferguson/ Google Street View

Among those struggling to find products is Megan Cummings, assistant manager at Wildwood restaurant on Lothian Road. She said: ”I went out on my lunch break yesterday (Monday) to pick up some hand sanitiser as I am travelling at the weekend through the airport but everywhere was out.

"I tried Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Superdrug, Boots, Co-Op, even Ali’s Cave - I went to around nine places and everywhere was out.

"Boots said that they had sold out that morning and a few places have signs up in the window.”

Empty shelves in Boots at Craigleith Retail Park on Tuesday. Pic: Lisa Ferguson

Edinburgh stores selling out

At lunchtime on Tuesday, a store manager at Boots Princes Street told the Evening News that they are struggling to keep up with demand but are still able to get products in.

A worker at the Sainsbury's Local in Earl Grey Street, Tollcross, said they are sold out but should be re-stocked on Tuesday night and have products available on shelves by tomorrow morning.

A member of staff at Boots on Earl Grey Street said they are sold out but hopefully will be restocked on Wednesday, although only two bottles of gel arrived at the store on Monday.

Superdrug on Lothian Road has also sold out and they hope to be restocked on Wednesday morning.

A store worker at Ali's Cave on Lothian Road also said they have sold out of products and that several local shops have put up signs on doors and windows.

Pictures also emerged of empty shelves at the Superdrug and Boots stores in Craigleith Retail Park on Tuesday afternoon.

A Boots spokeswoman confirmed there is currently a limit of two hand sanitisers per customer due to an increase in sales, in order to ensure as many people as possible have access to them.

But the company say they still have stock available in their warehouses and online and are offering the latest public health advice in their stores.

Hand sanitiser products have been selling out online, too. For example, a pack of six 50ml Cuticura Total antibacterial gels is listed as temporarily out of stock on Amazon and several products have lengthy delivery times.

UK Action Plan

The Scottish Government has set out its strategy to cope with coronavirus as part of the UK action plan.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said "well-established" plans were being activated to tackle a "serious situation."

Scotland only has one confirmed case of the virus so far, with 914 tests confirmed negative.

The patient who tested positive is from the Tayside area and had returned from a trip to Italy. They have been described as "clinically well," though they are being kept in isolation in hospital as a precaution.

The UK's coronavirus action plan outlines measures that could be taken if the virus spread.

This includes police only responding to the most serious crimes and maintaining public order, and the military providing support to emergency services.

Other possible measures include school closures, reducing social gatherings and working from home.

Ms Sturgeon says NHS Scotland will be ready to cope with an upsurge in demand as a result of an outbreak that affects large numbers of people. This could mean that, at a later stage, some non-urgent activity in the NHS would be postponed to prioritise capacity for people who need hospital treatment.

Coronavirus symptoms

Coronavirus is a respiratory disease which seems to start with a fever, followed by a dry cough. After a week it leads to shortness of breath and some patients require hospital treatment.

In more severe cases, coronavirus can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, multiple organ failure and even death.

Those with weakened immune systems - older people and those with underlying health conditions like asthma or heart disease - are more likely to become severely ill.

The World Health Organisation says the incubation period lasts up to 14 days.

As it's a new illness, it is unclear how exactly coronavirus spreads from person to person, but similar viruses are spread by droplets in coughs and sneezes.

Protecting yourself against coronavirus

The Scottish Government website offers the following advice from NHS Inform to help reduce the risk of getting and spreading respiratory infections by:

Avoiding direct hand contact with your eyes, nose and mouth

Maintaining good hand hygiene - washing hands with soap and water or alcohol sanitiser: After coughing or sneezing; going to toilet; before eating and drinking.

Avoiding direct contact with people that have respiratory illness and avoid using their personal items such as mobile phones.

Covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing with disposable tissues and disposing of them in the nearest waste bin after use.

Anyone who thinks they may be affected by coronavirus should call the NHS 111 phone service for further advice. They should not go to their GP or to A&E.

According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, there have been more than 90,600 cases of coronavirus worldwide with 3,124 deaths.

The outbreak originated in China's Hubei province in December before spreading globally.