Test and trace records highest weekly total of Covid cases in England

A total of 137,180 people in England tested positive for Covid-19 in the week ending 28 October, the highest weekly number of cases since NHS test and trace launched in May.

It represents an 8% rise in new positive infections on the previous week, according to Public Health England data. The test-and-trace system also reported having one of its worst weeks in terms of its performance in tracing the close contacts of those infected with Covid-19.

Only 41% of coronavirus testing capacity was used in the week ending 28 October, with about 1.5 million people being tested at least once, despite capacity for 3.6m tests.

Nearly two-thirds of in-person test results were received the next day after the test was taken, while 52% of home test results were received within 48 hours.

The figures come amid criticism surrounding contracts awarded to companies such as Serco and Sitel, which have previously been reported to have only reached as little as 46% of close contacts in some areas of the UK.