England's COVID-19 test and trace system reaches over
85,000 in two weeks
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[June 18, 2020]
LONDON (Reuters) - The number of contacts
of positive COVID-19 cases reached by England's test and trace system in
its first two weeks of operation was 87,639, Britain's health ministry
said on Thursday.
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The government's test and trace system is seen as key to helping to
monitor the spread of the new coronavirus and ease lockdown
measures.
It has been defended as "fit for purpose" by program leader Dido
Harding, though she has conceded it is not completely perfect.
The Department of Health said 5,949 people who tested positive for
coronavirus (COVID-19) had their case transferred to the contact
tracing system in its second week of operation.
It said that 44,895 contacts were identified. Of those identified in
the second week, 40,690 people, or 90.6%, were reached and advised
to self-isolate.
The previous week's figures were revised higher, in part due to an
audit by Public Health England.
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In total, since the program's launch on May 28, 14,085 people who tested
positive for coronavirus had their case transferred to the contact tracing
system, of whom 72.6% were reached.
In the first two weeks of operation, 87,639 people were identified as close
contacts and reached through the contact tracing system out of 96,746 reported
contacts.
(Reporting by Alistair Smout; editing by Michael Holden)
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