Nearly a third of COVID contacts still not being traced

Data from the Department for Health and Social care show 8,912 people who tested positive for Covid-19 in the area were transferred to the national Test and Trace service between May 28 and December 16.

The figures show that there were 560 new cases in the last seven days of that period.

This means that, since May 28, 19,289 close contacts were identified in the area – with just 69% of them being reached by contact tracers.

The figures indicate that 5,988 people who had contact with people who tested positive for the virus were not contacted or did not respond.

That figure was better than the 67.3% success rate reached in the period to December 9.

In the North East 64.1% of contacts were reached on average.

Nationally, 92.5% of contacts 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% – down from 92.7% the week before.

Around 139,000 new cases were transferred nationally in the week to December 16.

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