The researchers said that “large gaps” in the data make it impossible to know whether the government’s testing and tracking program is reducing the spread of the Corona virus.
The number of people currently isolated by symptoms in England is unknown, while routine information is not collected on whether people have been isolated for an entire two-week period.
The claims come from scientists who developed a new disease health dashboard, launched today.
They said the flaws in data availability and quality mean it is very difficult to know how well the system is performing.
Professor Christina Pagel, from University College London, who is a co-developer of the new dashboard, said: “One of the major missing and always missing is the assessment data for isolation.
“We don’t know what percentage of people with symptoms are actually isolating over the length of time or their contacts.
“If people don’t segregate, that’s just window decoration.”
“We want that to be collected and reported weekly because it’s a very important thing.”
The researchers found that some of the best data available dates back to two weeks, and they want to prioritize “real-time information” so that the right decisions can be made on measures such as a local lockdown.
One of the main functions of Test and Trace is to contact close contacts of anyone who shows a positive result.
But this month it has fallen below the 80% tracking level that government experts say is necessary if it is to be effective.
October’s numbers were gradually getting worse, with just under 60% of close contacts being tracked.
Her boss, Baroness Dido Harding, faced calls to step down.
Conservative Supreme Representative Sir Bernard Jenkin Sky News said At the end of the week, the administration of the system was bloated and muddled, with “lack of a comprehensive strategy.”
The government, however, is Stick to itSources said it had built “an operation the size of Tesco within months”.
The Covid (Covid Red) Response Assessment Dashboard will collect data from the Office of National Statistics, Public Health England and the NHS.
It will present England’s performance indicators under the headings of Research, Testing, Tracking, Isolation and Support to identify places that need more data or improvements.
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