One third of people who tested positive for Covid-19 were not contacted by the NHS Test and Trace team during its first week of operation, according to figures from the Department of Health.
A total of 8,117 people who tested positive for Covid-19 in England had their case transferred to the NHS Test and Trace contact tracing system during the period May 28 to June 3.
Of this total, 5,407 (67 per cent) were reached and asked to provide details of recent contacts, while 2,710 (33 per cent) could not be reached.
At the Downing Street daily coronavirus briefing, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said people had a “civic duty” to work with the NHS Test and Trace system, describing it as the “radar” for tracking coronavirus.
Mr Hancock said the system would continue to improve and he was “confident it will be world class”.
Mr Hancock said: “Testing for the virus and tracing how it spreads is critical for containing it locally, so that we can ease the national lockdown.
“It’s by isolating the virus that we can control it and we can stop it spreading through our communities.
“In this plan to lift lockdown, Test and Trace is our radar, if you like, it helps us identify where the virus is and trace how it is spreading through the community.”
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