Covid-19 cases rising twice as fast in Northamptonshire after IT glitch added in around 200 positive tests

Missed positive tests masked spikes in Northampton, Wellingborough, East Northants and Daventry
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Covid-19 cases appear to be accelerating in Northamptonshire twice as fast as local Public Health experts indicated just five days ago before the nationwide IT glitch was revealed.

And the county's Test and Trace team are battling to play catch-up and track down those who have been in contact with around 200 people who tested positive for coronavirus up to a week ago.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

County council officials used figures collated up to September 24 to tell Friday's media briefing there had been 23 new cases per 100,000 of the county’s population during the previous seven days.

But adjusted numbers announced after Public Health England identified an IT glitch added 246 new cases across the county in three days, raising the county-wide figure to around 49 new cases per 100,000 of the county's population.

The recent daily average has seen between 20 and 25 new cases in the county.

East Northamptonshire now has the highest rate of new infections in the county with a figure four times higher than that given by the county council with the figures available to them on Friday.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Daventry has also overtaken Northampton, Corby and Kettering — which were all on the Public Health England watchlist last month but have now been removed.

An IT glitch meant thousands of cases were not passed on to the NHS Test and Trace service. Photo: Getty ImagesAn IT glitch meant thousands of cases were not passed on to the NHS Test and Trace service. Photo: Getty Images
An IT glitch meant thousands of cases were not passed on to the NHS Test and Trace service. Photo: Getty Images

Neither district has previously been on the radar as areas where infection rates had been of concern.

Friday’s media briefing showed East Northamptonshire and Daventry at around 16 new cases per 100,000 people, well below average.

Latest figures taken from the Government's Covid-19 dashboard now put those figures at 69 for East Northants and 55 per 100,000 in Daventry.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

East Northants has seen 65 new cases in the last seven days compared to 13 the week before.

Government numbers show how the number of new cases in Northamptonshire is higher than thoughtGovernment numbers show how the number of new cases in Northamptonshire is higher than thought
Government numbers show how the number of new cases in Northamptonshire is higher than thought

Sunday’s figures also showed 48 new positive tests in Northampton, one short of the figure from the whole of the previous week. Wellingborough’s rate of infection also doubled as a result of the adjustment.

Despite requests, nobody from Public Health Northamptonshire was available for comment on how the extra new cases and higher infection rates in areas has affected the county’s response to the pandemic. Nor could they say how many contacts of the 246 cases confirmed over the weekend have not been tracked down and told to self-isolate.

Infection rates are still well below those in areas in the north of England where local lockdown measures are in force. But the rise is in sharp contrast to a recent slow down in numbers of new cases in Northamptonshire.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

That would have allowed them to notify those who had been in direct contact with the infected person and tell them to self-isolate.

Recent figures revealed Northamptonshire test and trace service has failed to track down more than 300 Covid-19 cases since it was set up six weeks ago.