Leeds has highest number of positive Covid-19 tests in England - how the rest of Yorkshire compares

Last week Leeds had 3,615 positive tests, followed by Bradford with 2,996 and Sheffield with 2,569 positive test results, according to data from the Department for Health and Social Care released today for the week up to 28 October.

Doncaster had the highest rates of positives, with 18 per cent of all tests coming back positive, followed by Kirklees with 17 per cent positive tests.

North Yorkshire had the fewest cases and the lowest rate of positives, with more than 90 per cent of tests coming back negative in Selby, Hambleton, Scarborough, Craven, Richmondshire and Ryedale.

Leeds's Covid contact tracing success rate has fallen for the fourth week running, the figures also reveal.

It comes as NHS Test and Trace reached its lowest ever proportion of close contacts nationally, with some 40 per cent of people not advised to isolate by contact tracers.

The data shows 19,434 people who tested positive for Covid-19 in Leeds were transferred to the Test and Trace service between May 28 and October 28.

That means 3,509 new cases were transferred in the latest seven-day period.

Contact tracers ask new patients to give details for anyone they were in close contact with in the 48 hours before their symptoms started.

This led to 45,262 close contacts being identified over the period – those not managed by local health protection teams, which are dealt with through a call centre or online.

But just 58 per cent were reached – a figure that has fallen steadily over a four-week period.

Across England, 58.5 per cent of contacts not managed by local health protection teams were reached and told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace in the latest week to October 28.

Local health protection teams deal with cases linked to settings such as hospitals, schools and prisons.

The contact tracing rate including these cases was 59.9 per cent – a record low.

Around 140,000 new cases were transferred nationally in the week to October 28.

Before the new figures were published, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland said the month-long lockdown that began in England on Thursday will be used to “redouble our efforts” to expand the NHS Test and Trace programme.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, he said it is also vital to increase the speed at which test results are returned.

“Lots of people are receiving them the next day which is good, but there are still too many people who are having to wait for days and we are going to continue to work to speed that up,” he said.

This comes as North Yorkshire County Council has said it will take over the local running of the Test and Trace system if Government contact tracers have been unable to contact people.

From today, if the national test and trace system is unable to contact someone who has tested positive within 24 hours, this will be handed to the local contact tracing team to follow up.

North Yorkshire County Council’s Corporate Director of Health and Adult Services, Richard Webb, said: “Contact tracing and self-isolation play a vital role in controlling the number of cases across North Yorkshire.

“It is essential that people who need to isolate do so to help to drive down the rate of infection across the county. Therefore, we need the contact tracing system to be as efficient and effective as possible. Our county council customer support team, supported by colleagues from Public Health, have local knowledge and are used to contacting and talking to local people.”

Initially, the national test and trace system will try to contact someone who has tested positive using a 0300 number. If they are unable to contact the person within 24 hours, this will be handed to the local contact tracing team to follow up.

Local contact tracing calls will be made by trained County Council staff, who will provide a seven-day-a-week service, from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 1pm Saturday and Sunday.