Coronavirus: Infection rate in England up by almost a third in one week

The number of coronavirus infections identified by the national test and trace service has increased by almost a third in a week, new statistics show.

According to new data published today, 6,616 new people tested positive for Covid-19 in the week to 12 August, an increase of 27 per cent compared to the week before.

This increase comes despite a 2 per cent drop in the number of people being tested.

Within NHS labs, the increase in positive cases has jumped 34 per cent in a week, the first notable rise in NHS run labs since test and trace was launched.

Officials say that while testing is being targeted at hotspot areas where more people may test positive, the data shows a general creeping up of infection rates across the country.

While the numbers testing positive are rising the NHS has so far not seen significant impact in terms of patients being admitted or dying.

According to the latest statistics a total of 57,457 people who tested positive for Covid-19 in England have had their cases transferred to the test and trace contact tracing system since its launch at the end of May.

In total, 45,037 were reached and asked to provide details of recent contacts, while 10,827 were not reached.

A further 1,593 could not be reached because their communication details had not been provided.

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