This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
Investigation launched into coronavirus test error
An investigation is under way after nearly 16,000 coronavirus cases went unreported in England because of a ‘technical issue’.
Public Health England said that 15,841 cases between 25 September and 2 October were left out of the UK daily case figures, following a ‘technical issue’ when positive test results were transferred from labs to central dashboards. This in turn delayed contact tracing efforts, with reports that more than 50,000 potentially infectious people may have been missed by contact tracers and not told to self-isolate because of the data blunder.
It is believed to have been caused by some data files exceeding the maximum size, and issues in transfer of data between NHS Test and Trace and PHE.
Although he described the situation as a ‘serious issue’ that is being ‘investigated fully’, Health Secretary Matt Hancock maintains that the impact has been minimal and that the error had not ‘substantially changed’ the government's assessment of coronavirus and its impact. He also told MPs that the issue had not impacted the basis on which decisions about local action were taken last week.
PHE says that those who tested positive were informed - but their close contacts were not. A spokesman for the Prime Minister said that the IT glitch was ‘quickly resolved’ and NHS Test and Trace and PHE were ‘urgently contacting’ all cases, with extra contact tracers being used.
Experts advise that ideally contacts should be tracked down within 48 hours.
Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, responded: “This is not just a shambles, it’s so much worse than that. And it gives me no comfort to say it – it’s putting lives at risk, and he should apologise.”
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