UK Will Use Drones to Deliver Coronavirus Tests to Remote Scottish Islands

According to John Hopkins University, Britain has at least 289,000 infected and the death toll from COVID-19 is the third-highest in the world, at 44,687. Scotland, however, remains less affected than England, accounting only for 18,315 cases, and 2,490 fatalities.

The National Health Service and drone delivery company Skyports Ltd. from London are working together in order to deliver coronavirus tests and other medical supplies to the Scottish area of Argyll and Bute, including remote islands in the Atlantic, according to the UK Space Agency.

The joint project by European Space Agency (ESA) and their British counterparts is worth $1.4 million (1.1 million pounds, or 1.24 million euros) and intends to assist the NHS response to coronavirus, Under-Secretary of State for Science, Research and Innovation Amanda Solloway explained.

Clinical support technician Douglas Condie extracts viruses samples as analytic work continues to examine the genetic structure of a virus in the coronavirus testing laboratory at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Glasgow, Scotland, Wednesday Feb. 19, 2020

© AP Photo / Jane Barlow

"The projects we are backing today show UK ingenuity at its finest and will make a real difference to how we use this latest innovative technology to deliver critical healthcare now and long into the future", she stated.

Argyll and Bute is situated on the western coast of Scotland and has a population of around 86,000 people. It includes at least 23 inhabited islands.