No area in England ranked ‘low’ risk on NHS Covid-19 app as coronavirus infections mount

Nowhere in England is considered low-risk by the new NHS Covid-19 app, which helps track the spread of coronavirus across the country.

The app, released on Thursday after months of delay, tells users if their postcode area is high, medium, or low-risk for the virus based on the number of cases in the area, among other functions.

The Department of Health and Social Care said that it is not appropriate for any part of England to be designated low-risk, given the rising case numbers all across the country.

Risk levels for postcode areas in England are based on data from the local authority watch list, which most recently only highlighted 44 areas of intervention, three on enhanced support and 11 marked as concern.

The app shot to the top of the download chart on both iOS and Android after its launch, with more than one million downloads confirmed on Android alone.

But the app was hit by complaints from some users on Thursday that they are unable to download it because of the age of their mobile phone.

Apple iPhones need to be running the iOS 13.5 version of the firm’s software, released last year but available to devices several years older, while users of Google’s Android require version 6.0, which was rolled out in 2015.

“The more people who download the app, the more people who may have Covid but otherwise wouldn’t be traced should be identified and instructed to isolate,” said Dr Chaand Nagpaul, British Medical Association (BMA) council chairman.

“The use of the app does not diminish the pressing need to have sufficient testing capacity, and must complement a properly functioning national test and trace system which can also quickly identify local outbreaks.”

It comes after London was placed on the national Covid watch list as an area of high concern on Friday.

Some 620 new cases were confirmed in the capital in the previous 24 hours – more than double the number at the start of the week.

Thirty-five more patients with Covid were admitted to the capital in the last 24-hour period, taking the total to 212, of which 40 are on ventilators.

A formal confirmation is due on Friday afternoon from Public Health England but the announcement was made in the morning by London Councils, which represents the 33 boroughs.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said:“London is at a very worrying tipping point right now. We’re seeing a sharp rise in 111 calls, hospital admissions, and patients in ICU.

“The near collapse of test and trace and the resurgence of the virus means new measures to slow its spread were absolutely necessary.

“Testing capacity was diverted away from London in the last two weeks to other national hot spots and weekly testing numbers are now down 43 per cent in the capital since mid-August. The lack of testing capacity is totally unacceptable and it is why London has been added to the Government’s coronavirus watchlist as an area of concern.

"Ministers simply have to get a grip. It’s vital that testing capacity is increased immediately in London and focused in the areas it is needed most. Any delay will mean letting the city down and will cost lives.”