Record three million people tested by NHS Test and Trace

More than three million people were tested by NHS Test and Trace over the last reporting week, the highest number ever in a single week.

In total, almost 21.8 million people have now been tested at least once since NHS Test and Trace was launched, equating to a third of all people in England. Of those people who took their tests in-person, at either a local or regional test centre, nearly all (97.6 per cent) received their results the following day, while the median turnaround time for home test kits was just 35 hours.

NHS Test and Trace has successfully reached 87 per cent of the people who received a positive test result, and 93.5 per cent of their contacts, making a real impact in breaking chains of transmission. In total during the week of 28 January to 3 February, 377,391 people who had either tested positive or been identified as a recent close contact were reached and told to self-isolate, people who might otherwise have gone on to unknowingly spread the virus.

The NHS COVID-19 app has now been updated with the capability to alert users in postcode district areas where there is a variant of concern to provide additional messaging to users, for example that they may be eligible for surge testing, even if they don’t have symptoms and where to find more information.

NHS Test and Trace’s test site network continues to expand. With more than 850 test sites in operation, including 484 local test sites, people are travelling a shorter distance than ever before to get a test. The median distance travelled for a test is just two miles, a record for the service, compared to 5.1 miles as recently as September.