Thousands not reached by test and trace system
Thousands of people who have been in contact with someone with coronavirus across the Black Country and Staffordshire are still not being reached by the test and trace system, figures suggest.
Across England, around 92 per cent of contacts not managed by local health protection teams were reached and told to self isolate by NHS Test and Trace in the week to December 16.
Data from the Department of Health and Social Care shows around 152,000 people in the region should have been contacted by the Test and Trace service between May 28 and December 16, after coming into contact with someone with coronavirus.
Contact tracers ask new patients to give details for anyone they were in close contact with in the 48 hours before their symptoms started.
But more than 50,000 were not contacted, or failed to respond, which meant they were never told to isolate.
In Staffordshire, 28,155 were transferred to the service, with 58,273 close contacts identified. But just 69.2 per cent responded, meaning 17,976 people were not contacted or did not respond.
In Sandwell, 13,268 tested positive for the virus in this time, with 28,640 close contacts identified. But just 63.3 per cent were reached, meaning 10,508 were not contacted.
A total of 11,280 people were transferred to Test and Trace in Dudley, leading to 24,485 close contacts being identified. But just 67.2 per cent of those were reached – meaning 8,039 were not contacted or did not respond.
The data shows in Walsall, 9,824 people who tested positive for coronavirus were transferred to the service in the time period, leading to 21,714 close contacts being identified. But just 66 per cent of those were reached, leaving 7,377 who were not contacted or did not respond.
And in Wolverhampton, 8,843 people who tested positive for the virus in the city were transferred to Test and Trace, with 18,923 close contacts identified But just 66.8 per cent were reached, meaning 6,282 people were not contacted or did not respond.
In the West Midlands, on average, 65.8 per cent of contacts were reached.
It comes as the region remained in Tier 3 over the festive period, ahead of today’s next Government review.
The entire West Midlands was placed under the strictest “very high alert” measures when the latest national lockdown ended.
Across England, 92.5 per cent 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 December 16.
Local health protection teams deal with cases linked to settings such as hospitals, schools and prisons. The contact tracing rate including these cases was 92.6 per cent, down from 92.7 per cent the week before. Around 139,000 new cases were transferred nationally in the week to December 16.
