The government's flagship coronavirus 'Test and Trace' system is still failing to reach a quarter of people who test positive, new figures show.
In the three weeks since the system launched on May 28, some 20,968 people in England tested positive for Covid-19 and were logged by contact tracers.
But just 15,225 (73%) were reached and asked to provide details of their recent contacts.
Between them, they had just over 128,000 contacts, 89% of whom have successfully gone into isolation.
Yet a further 5,062 people who tested positive couldn't be reached despite having contact details.
And another 681 did not have any details they could be contacted on.
It means more than 5,000 people have tested positive for coronavirus and no one they saw, sat with or talked to has been ordered to go into isolation.
When the scheme first launched, Test and Trace boss Dido Harding admitted it was not yet at the "gold" standard she'd hoped.
She said earlier this month: “Is it completely perfect? No of course it isn’t.
“Is there stuff we all need to do better? Yes there is.
“But I think it’s fit for purpose as we stand today and will get better through the summer.”
Yet today's figures show performance appears to be getting worse.
In the week of June 4-10, 75% of positive cases were reached to share their contacts. The following week that dropped to 73%.
Justin Madders, Labour’s Shadow Health Minister, said: To have a quarter of those who test positive not contacted three weeks in to the 'world beating' system is not good enough and urgently needs to be addressed.
“Expert opinion shows that to defeat this virus we need a fully functioning test and trace system, so these latest figures still raise major concerns the week before lockdown measures are eased further, especially without a working app.
“It is staggering that hundreds of people are not submitting their details into the system in the first place. Surely that should be one simple thing that can be fixed."
Labour leader Keir Starmer warned yesterday the real number of people not being reached is far higher, because not every Covid sufferer gets a test.
Labour's leader warned 33,000 people are estimated to have Covid-19 in England - yet just 10,000 spoke to Test and Trace to have their contacts traced.
Sir Keir said: "If two-thirds of those with Covid-19 are not being reached and asked to provide contact details, there's a big problem, isn't there?"
Boris Johnson said Labour's leader was "misleading on the key point" because "the number of people with Covid is an estimate."
The PM's spokesman said today: "NHS test and trace designed to help us contain the virus, and save lives. But the public must play their part by providing vital information we need to fight the spread of the virus. We would urge those with symptoms to book a test at the first opportunity and comply with all advice they receive.
"We have always said this is a service that will improve over time, and as I say it has reached over 100,000 people and that is obviously important.
"We have put in place something that is unprecedented, and it is a large scale service but we obviously want to see it improving over the coming weeks."
Asked about making it compulsory No 10 said the position had not changed.
