Coronavirus: UK test and trace hits new low with fewer than 60% of contacts reached

The government’s NHS Test and Trace programme has reached a record low, with just under 60 per cent of close contacts of people infected with coronavirus successfully reached by the system.

In the week ending 14 October, a total of 251,613 people in England were identified as coming into close contact with someone who had tested positive for Covid-19 – yet only 59.6 per cent were reached and asked to self-isolate, new official figures show.

This is the lowest weekly percentage since test and trace began, and is down from 63 per cent in the previous week.

For cases handled by local health protection teams, 94.8 per cent of contacts were reached and asked to self-isolate. But for cases processed online or by call centres, this figure was 57.6 per cent.

Scientists have warned that test and trace has become largely ineffective, as the country faces a mounting second wave of cases, hospitalisations and deaths from Covid-19.

The latest figures show that the proportion of close contacts being reached is well below the 80 per cent target needed to operate a successful test and trace system.

This comes as it was revealed that the service is being forced to draft in untrained staff to carry out clinical assessments of patients infected with coronavirus.

Leaked emails obtained by The Independent show that as of Wednesday, staff from outsourcing firms Serco and Sitel, who have no clinical training, will be working alongside nurses and clinical staff to help assess and contact trace approximately 20,000 cases each day.

The message said the surge in cases had led to “an immediate challenge to the capacity” of test and trace.

Meanwhile, just 15.1 per cent of people who were tested for Covid-19 in the week ending 14 October at a regional site, local site or mobile testing unit – a so-called in-person test – received their result within 24 hours, the data showed.

This is down from 32.8 per cent in the previous week, and is the lowest weekly percentage since test and trace began.

The data also shows the positivity rate – the proportion of all tests returning a positive result – has climbed to 7.1 per cent for the week, the highest since test and trace began.

According to criteria published by the World Health Organisation, a positivity rate of less than 5 per cent is one indicator that the epidemic is under control in a country. 

A total of 101,494 people tested positive for Covid-19 in England at least once in the week to 14 October – a rise of 12 per cent in positive cases on the previous week. 

The latest data shows that of 96,521 people transferred to the system, 80.7 per cent were reached and asked to provide details of recent close contacts. 

Baroness Dido Harding, the head of test and trace, said that “strengthening” the programme’s partnerships with local public health teams would help to improve the speed at which people are traced and contacted in their communities.

“Reducing turnaround times is our absolute priority to make sure we are reaching people as soon as possible,” she said.

“We always need to balance ensuring as many people as possible can get a test alongside ensuring test results are delivered as quickly as possible, and as capacity continues to grow at pace, we expect to see improvements.”

She added: “Partnerships across the public, private and educational sectors, alongside rapid advancements in technology and our ongoing recruitment drive, are helping us ensure that we meet our target of 500,000 a day by the end of October.”

Health minister Lord Bethell said: “We're rightfully proud of our achievements, as we continue to test more per head that any other European country.

“However, we do know that more needs to be done; to this end, we're constantly looking for new ways to improve the service, scoping out new technologies, partnerships and ways of working to equip us to better support our people, locally and nationally.”