ONE IN seven close contacts of people with Covid are not being reached by test and trace in Southend and Essex, amid a record number of new positive cases.

Data from the Department for Health and Social care shows 73,332 people who tested positive for Covid-19 in Essex were transferred to Test and Trace between May 28 and January 6.

That means 17,727 new cases were transferred in the latest seven-day period.

Contact tracers ask new patients to give details for anyone they were in close contact with in the 48 hours before their symptoms started.

This led to 148,255 close contacts being identified over the period.

But 86.5 per cent of those were reached, meaning 20,028 people were not contacted or did not respond.

And 9,845 people who tested positive in Southend were transferred to Test and Trace between May 28 and January 6, meaning 2,244 new cases were transferred in the latest seven-day period.

With new patients giving details for anyone they were in close contact with in the 48 hours before symptoms started, this led to 18,909 close contacts being identified over the period.

But 86.2 per cent of those were reached, meaning 2,601 people were not contacted or did not respond.

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