test and trace week 5 data

A recent press release by Government claims that between the 25th June and the 1st July, week 5 of ‘test and trace’, 91% of people tested ‘in-person’ were returned in under 24 hours.

Test and Trace infographic.
Test and Trace infographic.

The press release by the Department of Health and Social care states that 91% of people who were tested at regional and mobile testing sites were returned in under 24 hours; However, confusingly, the release also states that 97.5% of tests were returned ‘the next day’.

[I think they mean 91% of tests are returned on the same day, and that 97% are returned on the same day; although, how this simply does not work. You can return 91% on one day, or 97% the next day, you cant do both! – Steve]

The release goes on to say “5th set of data demonstrates a huge improvement in turnaround times of test results” and that “At the end of May, 16.6% of tests at regional test sites and 2.5% of tests at mobile testing units were returned in under 24 hours”, which illustrates a massive improvement in how quickly governments are returning COVID19 test results.

If you feel ill, PLEASE get tested! Its free!
If you feel ill, PLEASE get tested! Its free!

Data from 5th week of ‘test and trace’ also showed:

  • 77.4% (3,366) of the people who had tested positive for coronavirus and were transferred to NHS Test and Trace were reached by our contact tracers and asked to share details of their close contacts. This compares to 77.9% in the previous week
  • 70.8% (10,547) of close contacts were reached and advised to self-isolate. This compares to 74.2% in the previous week
  • More than 144,000 people who may have been at risk of unknowingly spreading the virus have been reached by the service and asked to self-isolate.

And in total, since the 28th May 2020 :

  • 30,797 people have tested positive for coronavirus in England during this period, with 31,421 transferred for contact tracing to include those that tested positive before contact tracing began
  • 75.7% (23,769) of the people who tested positive for coronavirus and were transferred to NHS Test and Trace were reached by our contact tracers and asked to share details of their close contacts
  • 85.1% (144,501) of close contacts were reached and advised to self-isolate.
Dido Harding - Executive Chair of NHS Test and Trace
Dido Harding – Executive Chair of NHS Test and Trace

Executive Chair of NHS Test and Trace, Dido Harding said: “We are committed to continually improving NHS Test and Trace, to reach more people at risk of passing the virus on as quickly as possible. This week we have seen test turnaround times improve further, with the majority of positive cases reached by contact tracers in under 24 hours. Anyone with symptoms can easily book a test, expect rapid results, and will hear promptly from NHS Test and Trace if they are tested positive.

“I continue to applaud all those who have played their part, got a test after experiencing symptoms, and responded to the service. I urge anyone contacted by NHS Test and Trace to follow the advice they receive to protect their families and communities.”

What do you think of this information? Are Government on the right track or do you feel left in the dark?

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