Matt Hancock claims NHS Test and Trace has ‘beat my expectations’ despite third of cases not contacted
Matt Hancock defended the results of the first week of NHS Track and Trace (PA)
2 min read
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has insisted the NHS Test and Trace scheme is outperforming expectation despite a third of positive coronavirus cases not being contacted.
Figures from the newly-launched system revealed out of a total of 8,117 people who contracted Covid-19 between 28 May and 3 June just 5,407 were contacted.
But Mr Hancock told the Downing Street press conference: "I think that the system has worked well and to get two-thirds in the first week of operation, it beat my expectations.
"Then to have the vast majority - 85% - of the contacts that were given self-isolating, that beat my expectations too.”
Meanwhile, Baroness Dido Harding, who runs the test and trace programme, said improvements were already being made.
She said: "We contact people 10 times during a 24-hour period and over the course of the last two weeks we have already been testing and learning and improving - and will continue to do that - to find what times of day and what means are easiest to reach people.”
The stats also revealed of those contacts who were told to self-isolate 15% had not agreed to it.
But Baroness Harding stressed not all of them were actively refusing to follow the instruction, saying: "A significant proportion of them we haven't reached yet and spoken to or been able to get a response from them.
"I don't think we should leap to the conclusion that all 15% of contacts are actively choosing not to self-isolate."
But Mr Hancock said the Government had not ruled out imposing fines if people failed to comply with the test and trace system, adding it was not needed now.
The senior minister also denied it was dangerous to be easing the lockdown.
"No, it's not, and the first thing I would say is I have confidence and renewed confidence with these statistics that we will get a world-class system,” he said.
"The better test and trace is the more lockdown measures we can relieve safely but I'm confident that the measures we've announced to be able to relieve on Saturday for the social measures and on Monday for the retail measures, they're safe, they're part of the plan.
"We're coming out of lockdown carefully and safely.”
PoliticsHome Newsletters
PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of UK politics anywhere on the web, offering high quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe
