28.08.20
Close to 300,000 people successfully reached by NHS Test and Trace
NHS Test and Trace has now reached almost 300,000 people according to the latest weekly statistics, which show the service as having managed to consistently reach the vast majority of individuals testing positive for coronavirus and their contacts.
In situations where contact details have been shared, contact tracers have reached 88.3% of contacts. There has also been a significant increase – of 57% - in the number of people coming forward for a test since mid-June.
That increase in the number of people being tested equated to, in the latest week of statistics, more than 440,000 people being newly tested.
In response to the increased demand around the country, the UK government has continued to expand its network of diagnostic testing facilities, expanding testing sites and investing in new technologies as it aims to achieve a target capacity of 500,000 tests per day by the end of October.
NHS Test and Trace has now been in operation for three months and recently saw its efforts brought under the banner of the new National Institute for Health Protection.
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Interim Executive Chair of the National Institute for Health Protection, Baroness Dido Harding, said: “This week marks a milestone for NHS Test and Trace. The statistics published today show that every week we consistently reach the majority of people testing positive and their contacts, and have now reached almost 300,000 people who may have unknowingly passed the virus on.
“This country now has the capacity to test for coronavirus and trace contacts on an unprecedented scale to stop the spread of the virus.
“We will continue to build the service further to reach more and more people and to scale up our testing capacity by expanding our network of testing sites and investing in new technologies.
“I urge everyone to use NHS Test and Trace to help everyone get back to a more normal way of life. If you have symptoms, book a test immediately, and if you are contacted by the service, follow the advice you receive.”