Sharp 64% rise in Covid-19 cases in one week with 89k testing positive

ENGLAND has seen a sharp 64 per cent increase in coronavirus cases in just one week, new data shows.

The latest Test and Trace figures reveal a total of 89,874 new people tested positive for Covid-19 in England in the week to October 7.

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This is an increase of 64 per cent in positive cases on the previous week and is the highest weekly number since Test and Trace was launched at the end of May.

This week's figures include around two per cent of the almost 16,000 cases that were previously unreported after Public Health England admitted they had missed 15,841 cases from their official stats.

Daily infection rates shot up to a record high of 22,961 cases on October 4 after bungling health chief's spotted the an Excel spreadsheet had maxed out.

Meanwhile, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said testing capacity is up this week.

There are now more than 500 testing sites open across the UK, with the  average distance being travelled for in-person tests now down to 3.3 miles.

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Hancock said: "This week's NHS Test and Trace statistics show that testing capacity is up, testing turnaround times are down, and the distance travelled for tests is down too.

"Thanks to this capacity and this analysis, we've been able to take a more targeted approach, keeping a close eye on the situation in local areas, bearing down hard through restrictions on a local level where they're necessary."

Some 62.6 per cent of close contacts of people who tested positive for Covid-19 in England were reached through the Test and Trace system in the week ending October 7, according to the latest figures.

This is the lowest weekly percentage since Test and Trace began, and is down from 69.5 per cent in the previous week.

For cases handled by local health protection teams, 97.7 per cent of contacts were reached and asked to self-isolate in the week to October 7.

For cases handled either online or by call centres, 57.6 per cent of close contacts were reached and asked to self-isolate.

When it comes to turnaround times for test results, there has been a slight week-on-week improvement.

Just 32.6 per cent of people who were tested for Covid-19 in England in the week ending October 7 at a regional site, local site or mobile testing unit - a so-called "in-person" test - received their result within 24 hours.

This is up from 27.4 per cent in the previous week.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged earlier in the year that by the end of June, the results of all in-person tests would be back within 24 hours.

Of the 87,918 people transferred to the Test and Trace system in the week to October 7, 76.8 per cent were reached and asked to provide details of recent close contacts.

This is up slightly on 74.9 per cent in the previous week.

'WORSE AND WORSE'

Shadow health minister Justin Madders said: "It is absolutely staggering that week upon week, the performance of Test and Trace keeps getting worse and worse.

"Surely ministers must see that the system is falling apart and what was supposed to be world beating is in fact now one of the biggest obstacles to us getting on top of the virus?

"The need for a circuit-break is absolutely critical now and that time should be used to fix Test and Trace once and for all."

Only 1.9 per cent of people in England who used a home test kit for Covid-19 received their result within 24 hours in the week to October 7.

This is down from 2.6 per cent in the previous week, but up slightly on 1.8 per cent in the week to September 16, which was the lowest weekly percentage since Test and Trace was launched at the end of May.

Some 16.0 per cent of people received the result of a home test within 48 hours, down from 30.2 per cent in the previous week.

It comes as millions more people in London and across England will face tougher coronavirus restrictions from Saturday.

The capital, along with Essex, Elmbridge, Barrow-in-Furness, York, North East Derbyshire, Erewash and Chesterfield will move into the second tier of measures - including a ban on households mixing indoors, including pubs and restaurants.