Over 25% of virus close contacts still being traced

Data from the Department for Health and Social care shows 15,223 people who tested positive for Covid-19 in the city were transferred to the national test and trace service between May 28 and January 13 – with 1,224 new cases in the last seven-days of that period.

This led to 29,587 close contacts being identified over the period, but just 72.5% of those were reached – meaning 8,113 people were not contacted or did not respond.

The number of contacts reached was slightly up on the 70.8% who were found in the period to January 6

Contact tracers ask all new virus patients to give details for anyone they have been in close contact with in the 48 hours before their symptoms started.

Anyone who is then contacted by NHS Test and Trace is told they have been in contact with someone who has tested positive and told to self isolate.

Nationally, 92.8% of contacts, not managed by local health protection teams, were reached by NHS Test and Trace in the latest week to January 13 -after around 352,000 new cases were transferred in the last week.

Local health protection teams deal with cases linked to settings such as hospitals, schools and prisons.

The contact tracing rate including these cases was 92.9% - up from 92.7% the week before.