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Reuters
Reuters
Health

COVID-19 cases fell 9% in latest week in England - tracing system

FILE PHOTO: A person is tested at a coronavirus test centre in the car park of Chessington World of Adventures as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, Chessington, Britain, April 18, 2020. To match Special Report HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/BRITAIN-TRACING REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo

Positive COVID-19 cases in England fell 9% in the latest week in England, the country's test and tracing system said on Thursday, as contacts of the cases successfully traced still languished near record lows.

Of the 347,575 people identified with someone who has tested positive in the week to November 18, 60.3% were reached, near last month's record low proportion of 59.6%.

Reuters analysis and interviews with contact tracers have shown issues with the much criticised system, and that when looking at non-household contacts, the proportion that is successfully traced is lower.

(Reporting by Alistair Smout; editing by Sarah Young)

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