Local contact tracers, following up cases of COVID-19 on the Isle of Wight, are not in place yet — as it is claimed there is less need for them.
When a person tests positive for COVID-19, contact tracers will alert anyone that person has been in contact with of the need to self-isolate — which is done at the national base.
It was announced by the Government in August that the NHS Test and Trace programme will provide local authorities with a dedicated team of contact tracers for local areas. The idea of this is to ensure those people the national team cannot reach are found by local teams.
It was trialled in Blackburn with Darwen, where local tracers had a very successful rate of tracking down cases the national team was unable to find.
On the Isle of Wight, the Council has said it is in the process of setting up a local testing partnership, alongside the national service, but is not running yet.
Director of public health for the Island, Simon Bryant, has said that is because there has been a very good success rate through the national tracers who have followed up with a very high proportion of cases and contacts. He said:
“What we need to do is look at that locally and see how we are going to develop that.
“Because we do very well through the national service, we wanted to make sure we were using our people and resources very effectively and so we will be setting it up.
Article continues below this advertisement “The need on the Island was less than Blackburn with Darwen.”
In some local authority areas, officers from other parts of the council – including environmental health, sexual health and in some cases fire services – have formed the local contact tracers.
So does this mean the NHS App is no good on the island ???
It just means if NHS T&T need to call you to do contact tracing the person calling you doesn’t also live on the Isle of Wight, they could be from anywhere in England
This is why they need to keep lockdowns running while they are in place they can make vax compulsory
All part of the plan
They are raking in so much money now they have just got to keep it going
Never ones to lock the stable door until the horse has bolted,disappeared over the hill and gone at least another three fields away.
Sounds like a ‘get your finger out‘ situation
The aren’t needed because they know where all the cases are happening at the moment. Just look at your other reports.
“Worldbeating” What a sick joke.
How do non essential shops open up we have one here in ventnor called Wendy’s it only sells cards and tack… no wonder we cant contain this virus when people dont comply with the rules what are we supposed to do is there anyway we can get these non essential shops shut I know times are hard but getting this disease is deadly.
Keep them closed until the flu is eradicated too