Contact tracers reaching fewer Covid contacts in Bedford

Fewer close contacts of people with coronavirus in Bedford are being reached through the test and trace system, new figures reveal.

NHS Providers said the test and trace system has a long way to go to be effective, as it continues to struggle to reach much more than 60% of the close contacts of people who test positive for the virus nationally.

Data from the Department for Health and Social care shows 1,667 people who tested positive for Covid-19 in Bedford were transferred to the Test and Trace service between May 28 and November 4.

That means 243 new cases were transferred in the latest seven-day period.

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

This led to 3,484 close contacts being identified over the period – those not managed by local health protection teams, which are dealt with through a call centre or online.

But just 60.5% were reached, meaning 1,376 people were not contacted or did not respond.

That was slightly down from the 60.8% reached up to October 28, and below the 61% average across the East of England as whole.

Across England, 59% of contacts not managed by local health protection teams were reached and told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace in the latest week to November 4.

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

The contact tracing rate including these cases was 60.4% – up slightly from the week before when a record low 59.9% was reported. That figure has since been amended to 60.2%.

Around 142,000 new cases were transferred nationally in the week to November 4, the highest weekly number since NHS Test and Trace was launched.

Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents trust leaders, said: "The number of people who tested positive for COVID this week has increased by 8%.

"Despite this, it is worrying to see fewer close contacts identified than the previous week, and with over 124,000 not reached this week it highlights how far the system has to go to be effective.

"We remain hopeful that the number of people testing positive for COVID will reduce as national lockdown continues, however we are realistic that winter is going to be extremely challenging, particularly without a world class testing and contact tracing system."