Hundreds fewer people were “pinged” by the NHS Covid-19 app in Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Lewisham and Dartford in the latest week – figures reveal.

The app has been updated meaning fewer contacts are now being instructed to isolate, after the lifting of lockdown restrictions led to a huge increase in the number of people being contacted – a so-called “pingdemic”.

The app warns people that they have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus.

People contacted through the app are advised to isolate for up to 10 days, although there is no legal obligation to do so.

And from Monday, August 16 those fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will no longer have to self-isolate if they have been in close contact with someone who tested positive for the virus.

Bexley

1,468 people in Bexley were "pinged" by the Covid app in the week to August 4 – the latest available data.

That was a decrease from the 1,723 alerts sent out the week before.

Separate Department for Health and Social Care figures show contact tracers told 1,187 people in Bexley to self-isolate after being in contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19 in the week to August 4.

That was down from 1,722 the week before.

The figures show 1,272 people who came into close contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19 in Bexley were transferred to Test and Trace in the latest week.

It means 85 contacts were not reached by the service. The figures do not include those told to isolate in specific settings such as schools and prisons.

Bromley

NHS figures show 1,968 people in Bromley were "pinged" by the Covid app in the week to August 4 – the latest available data.

That was a decrease from the 2,525 alerts sent out the week before.

Separate Department for Health and Social Care figures show contact tracers told 1,436 people in Bromley to self-isolate after being in contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19 in the week to August 4.

That was down from 2,029 the week before.

The figures show 1,582 people who came into close contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19 in Bromley were transferred to Test and Trace in the latest week.

It means 146 contacts were not reached by the service. The figures do not include those told to isolate in specific settings such as schools and prisons.

Greenwich

NHS figures show 1,819 people in Greenwich were "pinged" by the Covid app in the week to August 4 – the latest available data.

That was a decrease from the 2,312 alerts sent out the week before.

Separate Department for Health and Social Care figures show contact tracers told 1,368 people in Greenwich to self-isolate after being in contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19 in the week to August 4.

That was down from 1,697 the week before.

The figures show 1,573 people who came into close contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19 in Greenwich were transferred to Test and Trace in the latest week.

It means 205 contacts were not reached by the service. The figures do not include those told to isolate in specific settings such as schools and prisons.

Lewisham

NHS figures show 2,020 people in Lewisham were "pinged" by the Covid app in the week to August 4 – the latest available data.

That was a decrease from the 2,526 alerts sent out the week before.

Separate Department for Health and Social Care figures show contact tracers told 1,307 people in Lewisham to self-isolate after being in contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19 in the week to August 4.

That was down from 1,458 the week before.

The figures show 1,521 people who came into close contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19 in Lewisham were transferred to Test and Trace in the latest week.

It means 214 contacts were not reached by the service. The figures do not include those told to isolate in specific settings such as schools and prisons.

Dartford

NHS figures show 702 people in Dartford were "pinged" by the Covid app in the week to August 4 – the latest available data.

That was a decrease from the 840 alerts sent out the week before.

Separate Department for Health and Social Care figures, which cover larger council areas, show contact tracers told 6,500 people in Kent to self-isolate after being in contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19 in the week to August 4.

That was down from 9,238 the week before.

The figures show 7,307 people who came into close contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19 in Kent were transferred to Test and Trace in the latest week.

It means 807 contacts were not reached by the service. The figures do not include those told to isolate in specific settings such as schools and prisons.

Across England, nearly 162,000 cases were transferred to the contact tracing system between July 28 and August 4, with 139,000 people identified as coming into close contact with someone who had tested positive.

NHS figures show the number of people testing positive for Covid-19 has been falling for the last two weeks.

According to separate data from the Zoe Covid Study, a not-for-profit initiative supporting Covid-19 research, there are currently 45,900 new daily symptomatic cases of the virus in the UK on average, based on PCR and lateral flow test data from up to five days ago.

While this is a fall from the 46,900 average daily cases reported last week, researchers said the small decrease is small suggests the rate of decline has slowed.

Professor Tim Spector, lead scientist on the study and professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London, said: “While it’s reassuring to see loosened restrictions haven’t caused cases to skyrocket, it’s more difficult to predict the future.

"Cases remain relatively low in the fully vaccinated group, which is a sign that vaccines are working and keeping the spread at bay.”

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