Health chiefs in Fife are stepping in to help with the fight against coronavirus - by running a pilot programme to monitor its spread through the Scottish population.
The initiative will be run by Fife Health and Social Care Partnership, on behalf of Health Protection Scotland and the Scottish Government, over the next few months.
Data gathered will be used for scientific modelling, political decision-making and social interventions that will help maintain the functions of the NHS.
Dr Helen Hellewell, Fife Health and Social Care Partnership associate medical director, said: "We are delighted to have been asked to run the first pilot project in Scotland.
"The information we gather will allow us to continually review and plan our Covid response as we progress though the coronavirus outbreak.
"Here in Fife we have successfully established a Covid-19 community triage hub in Glenrothes and an assessment centre at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy.
"They have been running for four weeks and the new monitoring process will look at the number of people who have mild or moderate symptoms of the Covid-19 infection.
"It is important work that will help us eventually overcome the pandemic in Scotland."
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