Nearly one in 10 Covid tests are positive, data show

Nearly one in 10 coronavirus tests in the UK are returning positive results, the latest government figures show.

In the week ending 28 October, a total of 1,482,528 people were tested at least once for the virus. Out of these, 137,180 were confirmed as positive — a rate of 9.3 per cent, the highest on record since the start of the pandemic.

This is also the highest weekly caseload since test and trace was launched at the end of May, and points to the widespread prevalence of Covid-19 in the population as the country’s second wave continues to grow.

The positivity rate has been increasing since the end of August, when it stood at 0.9 per cent.

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. 

Test and trace is also continuing to deliver record low returns, according to data released on Thursday, with just under 60 per cent of close contacts of people infected with coronavirus successfully reached by the system.

In the week ending 28 October, a total of 327,203 people in England were identified as coming into close contact with someone who had tested positive for Covid-19 – yet only 59.9 per cent were reached and asked to self-isolate, new government figures show.

This is the second lowest weekly percentage since the programme began, and is down by 0.4 per cent on the previous week.

It is the third week running that authorities have failed to reach roughly four out of 10 of close contacts – far below the 80 per cent target needed to operate a successful test and trace system.

For cases handled by local health protection teams, 97.9 per cent of contacts were reached and asked to self-isolate. But for cases processed online or by call centres, this figure was 58.5 per cent.

Just 26.4 per cent of people who were tested in England in the week ending October 28 at a regional site, local site or mobile testing unit – an “in-person” test – received their result within 24 hours. This is up from 22.6 per cent in the previous week.

Turnaround times are slowly improving but continue to be longer than they were at the end of June.

Prime minister Boris Johnson had pledged that, by the end of June, the results of all in-person tests would be back within 24 hours.

He told the House of Commons that he would get “all tests turned around within 24 hours by the end of June, except for difficulties with postal tests or insuperable problems like that”.

Before the new figures were published, the justice secretary Robert Buckland said the month-long lockdown that began in England on Thursday will be used to “redouble our efforts” to expand the test and trace programme.

Separate government data show 10,118 people were hospitalised with coronavirus in the seven days up to 31 October. 

And, as of Wednesday, a total of 60,051 deaths with Covid-19 on the death certificate have been recorded across the UK.

Downing Street said the prime minister was aware improvements were needed to the test and trace system.

Mr Johnson’s official spokesperson told reporters: “You heard the PM talk about this yesterday. He said he was perfectly willing to accept where there were failings in relation to NHS Test and Trace.

“You can see some progress in the figures this week – the number of in-person tests that were received the next day increased to 61.8 per cent compared with 46.5 per cent in the previous week.

“But there is much more improvement that is needed and I think there is a lot of work going on to continue to improve the test and trace network.”

The spokesperson said Mr Johnson continues to have confidence in Dido Harding as head of the operation.