Government ‘has ignored lessons’ of Sheffield contact tracing group

‘IN GOOD HANDS’: The Duke of Cambridge talks to a patient who is participating in the Covid-19 vaccine trial in Oxford. PICTURES: PA.

THE GOVERNMENT has been accused of ignoring lessons from the UK’s first contact tracing group based in Yorkshire as the Prime Minister insisted the country had a “effective clusterbusting operation” to tackle coronavirus outbreaks.

The Sheffield Community Contact Tracers, which outside of the Government’s scheme had been the only group contact tracing in the UK, tracked 58 people who had been in contact with 10 coronavirus patients using volunteers before the Government’s test and trace scheme got off the ground.

Researchers found that although using volunteers was successful, two-thirds of those tracked did not fully cooperate and the majority of them worked in the NHS or social care.

Voluntary groups in the city have now written to Health Secretary Matt Hancock, inset, as they say they are “deeply concerned that the

Voluntary groups involved with Sheffield Community Contact Tracers. project’s findings are not being accounted for”.

The letter to Mr Hancock said: “We have yet to see an approach from the Government about how contacts will be compelled to selfisolate and there is currently no publicly-available plan around providing the practical and emotional support those people will need to do so.”

But Boris Johnson insisted yesterday that test and trace systems were in place to respond to fresh outbreaks amid the widest easing of lockdown measures yet. The Prime Minister said that a “cluster-busting operation” would quickly tackle localised outbreaks and defended the reach of the NHS Test and Trace system, even though the promised app is delayed.

Mr Johnson’s comments followed calls from health leaders for an urgent review to ensure Britain is properly prepared for the “real risk” of a second wave of coronavirus.

The appeal is backed by the presidents of the Royal Colleges of Physicians, Surgeons, GPs and Nursing, and the chairman of the British Medical Association.

Mr Johnson was challenged by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer about the gap between the number of estimated coronavirus cases and those entering the test and trace system.

Sir Keir also rejected Mr Johnson’s claim that no country had yet developed a contact tracing app, pointing out that Germany’s had been downloaded 12m times.

He also highlighted the estimated 33,000 people who are thought to have coronavirus in England, comparing the figure to the 10,000 within the test and trace system.

It comes as a further 154 deaths of people who had been diagnosed with coronavirus were recorded yesterday, bringing the UK total to 43,081. In Yorkshire, a further eight deaths were recorded yesterday, bringing the region’s total to 2,795.

We are deeply concerned the findings are not being accounted for.