More than two in five close contacts still not being reached by test and trace regime in Sheffield

Department for Health and Social Care data shows 21,448 people who tested positive for Covid-19 in Sheffield were transferred to the service between May 28 and November 18 – including 1,808 in the latest seven-day period.

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

This led to 47,767 close contacts being identified, but just 56.8 per cent were reached, meaning 20,624 people were not contacted or did not respond.

That meant there was no increase on the 56.8 per cent reached in the period to November 11.

Across England, 58.8 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 November 18.

Local health protection teams deal with cases linked to settings such as hospitals, schools and prisons.

The contact tracing rate including these cases was 60.3 per cent – up slightly from the week before when it was 60.7 per cent.

About 157,000 new cases were transferred nationally in the week to November 18, the highest weekly number since Test and Trace was launched.