Covid: Test and Trace failure helped Indian variant spread, report says (England)

[Northerner]

Failures in England's test-and-trace system are partly responsible for a surge in the Indian variant in one of the worst affected parts of the country, a report seen by the BBC says.

For three weeks in April and May, eight local authorities in England did not have access to the full data on positive tests in their area.

The number of missing cases was highest in Blackburn with Darwen, Lancashire.

A recent surge in infections there has been linked to the Indian variant.

The government said a "small number" of people in contact with those who tested positive for coronavirus had "experienced a temporary delay in getting a message from NHS Test and Trace".

The other areas affected by what is thought to have been a technical glitch were Blackpool, York, Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock.

Covid: Test and Trace failure helped Indian variant spread, report says

Several councils did not receive up-to-date Covid data for almost three weeks, the BBC learns.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[mikeyB]

That's not in the least surprising. The much vaunted world beating system announced by that fat freak has never worked properly. Not in England. In Scotland, where the system they use is manned by seasoned professionals, it works just fine.

The government have hoped that the test and trace system they have will quietly slip away, and have put their efforts, such as they are, into vaccinations. They certainly haven't made any effort into investigating the failings of test and trace.

And I might say, because the government haven't, is that a temporary delay can mean the difference between life and death. That doesn't matter to Boris, because the victims are South Asian. In case you were wondering about the government's idiotic border policies, you can be assured that flights from India are still landing in this country, topping up our supply of variant virus. You aren't allowed to fly to India, of course, in case you bring the virus back. If you can figure out the logic behind that, you are a better thinker than I am.