The ‘pingdemic’ continues to ring through the UK with another record number being told to self-isolate due to close contact.
The NHS app sent more than 600,000 alerts last week, a 17% increase on the previous seven days.
Data show 618,903 alerts were sent out as Covid cases are rising by a third.
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The government has been under pressure for several weeks to fix the sensitivity of the app.
There are huge fears the economy could come to a complete halt if this continues, with key workers being forced to isolate and some shops even being temporarily closed down.
Pictures have emerged in recent days showing empty supermarket shelves as people begin to panic-buy over isolation fears.
But Business Secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, rejected claims the number of people being pinged by the app is causing retailers to struggle to keep shelves stocked.
He told Sky News: "I don't recognise the bare shelves. Clearly in some places it's happening but it's not universal across the country."
Police response times have also been effected due to the amount of officers being forced into self-isolation by the app.
Mr Kwarteng also revealed today the government is preparing to rush out a list of industries allowed to ignore the app later today despite previously saying they wouldn’t.
Ministers have caused confusion over the problem as some suggested people should ignore it as it is not a legal order to isolate.
A recent YouGov poll found that one in five users had turned off contact tracing on the app and a tenth had deleted it completely.
The survey also found one in three Britons has been avoiding using the app to check-in at venues.
However, latest NHS figures show that 302,895 people across England and Wales have downloaded the app in the last week - bringing the total number to 26,826,748.
Food distribution firm, Bidfood, has advised workers pinged by the app to take tests and continue working despite the government’s advice.
Bidfood chief executive, Andrew Selley, said in an interview with BBC radio 4’s today programme that delivery drivers can continue to work if they test negative and called his approach “appropriate and safe”
He said they are “critical workers” in the UK’s food supply chain.
He added: “We operate in Covid-safe workplaces and we're absolutely key workers in terms of the supply chain to hospitals, care homes, prisons, and therefore it's important for us to be able to keep offering that service to our customers."
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