Test And Trace Hits Another New Low With Worst Ever Contact Tracing Rate
Boris Johnson’s test and trace service has hit another new low after it reported its worst ever figures for tracking down “close contacts” of people with Covid.
The controversial system saw just 59.6% of cases in England being reached and told to self-isolate to stop the spread of the virus.
The figure is the worst since the so-called NHS Test and Trace was launched in May, and down on the previous week’s 62.6% , itself a record low at the time.
It means that nearly more than 40% of people who have been in contact with someone testing positive for the virus have not been reached – and not told to home quarantine for 14 days.
Government scientific experts have advised that the whole system can only work effectively if at least 80% of “close contacts” are actually tracked down and self-isolate
Close contacts are defined as those who have spent more than 15 minutes within two metres of a positive Covid case.
Latest figures for the week between October 8 and October 14 starkly underlined the continuing surge in coronavirus cases across the country, with 101,494 people testing positive for the first time – a 12% increase compared to the previous week.
The so-called NHS Test and Trace system, which is headed by Tory peer and former TalkTalk phone giant boss Dido Harding, has been dogged by criticism since it began earlier this year, with many attacking its use of private firms like Serco and Deloitte.
The statistics for turnaround times for tests also went in the wrong direction.
The proportion of in-person tests – local test sites, mobile testing units and
regional test sites – received within 24 hours was just 15.1%, less than half of the 32.8% in the previous week.
Boris Johnson had promised MPs earlier this year that his “world beating” test and trace system would hit a 100% target for receiving results within 24 hours by the end of June.
The figures show that for all routes combined, just 7.4% of tests were received within 24 hours, compared to...
