NHS investigation launched after bag of Covid-19 test samples found on road

Samples being transported from Caithness General Hospital in Wick to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, say authorities

An NHS investigation has been launched after a bag of Covid-19 test samples was found by a member of the public on a road in the Scottish Highlands, authorities have said.

The samples were being taken from Caithness General Hospital in Wick to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, according to a statement from NHS Highland.

The bag was found on the A9 near Tain and taken to a local police station.

NHS Highland said it was investigating how the bag came to be abandoned on the roadside.

A spokesperson said: “We can confirm that samples being transported from Caithness General Hospital in Wick to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness were found on the A9 near Tain.

“The samples were handed in to the local police station and are now with the laboratory team at Raigmore.

“We are investigating how this could have happened to ensure this will not happen again and would like to reassure everyone that at no point was there a danger to the public from these samples.

“They were packed properly and remained intact.

“We are very grateful to the gentleman who handed the box of samples to the police.”

Additional reporting by PA