ONLY around half of coronavirus cases in the UK are being picked up by health authorities, according to a pandemics expert.
Mark Woolhouse, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh, believes attempts to control the virus are being done "with one hand behind our back".
The scientist sits on a sub-group of Sage and is a member of the Scottish Government's Covid-19 advisory group.
He said the mass testing scheme which began in Liverpool is an attempt combat the problem.
READ MORE: Scottish cities will soon have coronavirus immunisation centres
From Friday anyone in the city can be tested – repeatedly – for coronavirus regardless of whether they have symptoms.
Speaking on the BBC Scotland's Seven Days programme, Woolhouse explained: "The problem that testing pilot scheme in Liverpool is trying to solve is that we're still not finding about half of the Covid cases in Scotland or in the UK more generally.
"That's a very high proportion."
He added: "It's probably partly because many of them are asymptomatic or so mildly infected they don't recognise the symptoms, partly because people do have symptoms but actually genuinely aren't recognising them as Covid - I've heard a few cases of that in the last week – and also the possibility that some people are having symptoms and actually ignoring them, perhaps because they don't want to go into self-isolation.
READ MORE: New restrictions have stabilised coronavirus in Scotland, expert says
"Whatever the reason, those missed 50% of cases - it's like trying to control the epidemic with one hand tied behind our back. We can't do it effectively if those cases are not also being self isolated and their contacts traced. It's going to make it much more difficult.
"The idea of Liverpool is to try and find these cases and hopefully ... persuade them to self-isolate."
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here