Track and Trace system is not fit for purpose

I TOO share the concerns expressed by ‘Worried Pensioner’ about the pandemic and how seriously some of the population are taking it.

A couple of thoughts though are:

1. Saying the existing Track and Trace system has ‘limitations’ is far too generous a description of it. It would be more accurate to call it not fit for purpose – or ‘too slow and fundamentally flawed,’ as per a recent headline in the British Medical Journal.

Unfortunately the current Track and Trace system is based on pure political dogma. It is a centralised system using unskilled and insufficiently trained call centre staff employed by outsourcing companies like SERCO and which, until very recently, has sidelined local public health teams who have the experience of contact tracing infectious diseases.

They have appropriately skilled staff and even more crucially, have local knowledge and the ability to knock on people’s doors when emails and phone calls are not being answered.

Researchers at University College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Diseases have reported the national system has been reaching about 50% of the contacts of someone who has tested positive – well below the kind of levels they believe are needed to prevent a second wave .

This is also an appalling waste of money, given the system was going to cost £10bn.

Thankfully changes are now going to be made.

2. Worried Pensioner says ‘Any system can only work if everyone unselfishly plays their part’ but then fails to mention the corrosive impact in trust the flouting of lockdown rules by Dominic Cummings and Stanley Johnson, has had.

I think most fair-minded people of any political persuasion would condemn the actions of these two (and others such as the Labour Mayors of Leicester and Luton) – not our own Prime Minister though, who sends out an appalling message to us mere mortals.

Thankfully though, it seems the vast majority of people are still more sensible than that. The main problem is they are continually being let down by this Government.

Join the PDSA’s Big Dog Walk Challenge

AT PDSA, the UK’s leading vet charity, we provide life-saving care to pets in need and believe no pet should suffer due to financial hardship.

But the coronavirus pandemic has left us facing a national crisis.

With the country plunged into financial uncertainly, and more than a million extra Universal Credit claims, we expect the number of pets needing our help to increase by around 50,000.

So support from local animal lovers is needed now more than ever.

We’re urging dog owners and their four-legged friends to put their best paw forward and support our vital service by signing up to the World Big Dog Walk Challenge.

Joining celebrities and animal lovers across the UK, all you need to do is choose a suitable distance for you and your dog to complete during September. This could be your regular ‘walkies’ route around your local park or why not stretch yourself and take on a more challenging distance?

Whatever the distance, every small step will make a big different to the lives of poorly pets in desperate need of life-saving treatment.

Our veterinary service has been a lifeline to so many pets and their owners across the UK during the crisis so by choosing to support PDSA through this fun virtual event, we can continue our vital work saving sick and injured pets in need.

Visit www.pdsa.org.uk/worldbigdogwalk for more information and to sign up.