LONDON (Reuters) – England’s COVID-19 test and trace system could not reach a quarter of people who had their cases transferred to the system after a positive test for the new coronavirus, UK’s Department of Health said on Thursday.
Of 6,923 people who had their case transferred to the contact tracing system in its third week of operation, 1,791, or 25.9%, could not be reached, with no contact details provided for a further 263 people.
The department said 30,286 people were identified as close contacts of positive COVID-19 cases, and of these 24,734 people, or 81.7%, were reached and asked to self-isolate.
Those running the test and trace service say that it is early days in its operation and is working well but needs continued co-operation from the public to help get to grips with the pandemic.
The test and trace system is seen as key to efforts to lift the lockdown in England, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson allows a growing number of businesses to re-open.
“In just three weeks, NHS Test and Trace has already reached more than one hundred thousand people who may have otherwise unknowingly spread the virus,” said Dido Harding, executive chair of England’s test and trace system.
“It will take all of us working together to stop the spread of the virus in our communities and that will continue to be true as the country starts to open up again.”
Since the programme’s launch on May 28, it has reached 113,925 close contacts of the 21,105 people who have tested positive for COVID-19. Of those who have tested positive for the disease, 99.4% of people have been transferred to the system, the Department of Health said.
(Reporting by Alistair Smout; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
