Coronavirus: NHS test and trace system fails to reach a quarter of cases
A quarter of people in England testing positive with coronavirus is still not being reached by the government’s test and trace system, according to new figures.
Figures from the Department of Health and Social Services show that only 75 per cent of the 6,183 people who tested positive for Covid-19, between 18 and 25 June, were were contacted by NHS test and trace.
This means that 1,544 people with coronavirus have not been traced, leaving potentially thousands of people they have been in close contact with unaware they could have the disease.
The new figures also showed that almost 97 per cent of tests done at mobile testing sites returned a test result within 24 hours between 18 June and 25 June.
Since the test and trace programme began at the start of last month, 27,000 people have been referred to NHS contact tracers.
Of these, 74 per cent were contacted by the track and trace programme.
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More than 130,000 people have been contacted by contact tracers and told to self-isolate, after being in close contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid-19.
Close contact is deemed to have been made if someone has been within two metres of someone else for 15 minutes, without the use of any protective equipment or clothing.
Dido Harding, executive chair of NHS Test and Trace, said: “We have seen significant improvements in the time it takes to process test results, an important step to rapidly reach the contacts of those testing positive and ask them to self-isolate to prevent them spreading the virus further.
“I am very grateful to all those who have played their part and responded so well to the service.”