The new adult-sized incubators, known as EpiShuttles, are currently being tested and are expected to come into use within days.

Scottish Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said the technology will enable safe transport of patients while protecting crew members.

She confirmed the ambulance service will kit out two Loganair twin otter planes with the shuttles, one by Friday and the other within two weeks, which will provide airlifts from islands with appropriate landing facilities.

The pods, called "EpiShuttles", will begin transporting patients in the coming days.

£250,000 price tag

The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) said so far eight shuttles have been bought, two of which have been received and are currently being tested.

A further two are expected to arrive on April 17 and four more by mid-May, costing more than £500,000 in total.

Ms Freeman said: "We've been working closely with the Scottish Ambulance Service to significantly increase capacity for airlifting patients off the islands and to ensure that any patients from our island communities with Covid-19 can be transported to receive the appropriate healthcare when they need it.

"The first batch of EpiShuttles will be available from this Friday, with plans well under way to increase the number of these single patient isolation pods in the coming weeks.

"EpiShuttles are designed to protect patients and crew from potential infection and safely transport patients on fixed-wing aircraft.

"In the meantime, SAS is working with the RAF who are currently providing cover for transfers off the islands, using three Puma helicopters based at Kinloss which can transfer some patients without EpiShuttles."

‘Taking swift action’

The shuttles are based on a design originally developed to enable the safe transport of highly infectious soldiers on the battlefield, and have been used to treat patients with life-threatening disease such as Ebola.

Scottish Ambulance Service chief executive Pauline Howie said: "The fight against Covid-19 has required the NHS to think differently and to move at pace.

"By adapting our approach and using this latest available technology, we are taking swift action in the best interests of patients and our hardworking staff - whilst increasing our capacity.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Frank O'Donnell

Editorial Director

Coronavirus in Scotland: Loganair and Scottish Ambulance Serivce to use isolation pods to transport Covid-19 patients