Local Covid contact tracers will begin knocking on Southwark residents doors early next month.
Southwark developed its own local test and trace operation which went live this month amid frustration that the national system was not reaching everyone’s coronavirus contacts.
Southwark Council’s call centre staff are also being drafted in to boost the seven-day test and trace operation.
As of this week, council officials have also begun using text messages to try and reach the close contacts of confirmed cases, states a report to the Southwark branch of the CCG.
“NHS Test & Trace enables us to monitor the spread of COVID-19 through the testing of suspected cases and tracing of recent close contacts,” states the report.
“As at 27 October, 1,877 local cases and 4,673 contacts have been identified.”
The local system has been hailed as “significantly” increasing the number of successfully tracked and completed cases.
But it has been hit with a number of problems, the report reveals.
The national system has been handing over “inappropriate” cases to the Southwark team. Delays are also impacting performance.
The national team is supposed to hand over cases within 24 hours if they have not made contact. The average time between a person testing positive in Southwark and the case being handed over to local teams for tracing is actually 5.7 days.
“Contact tracing has been impacted by errors in the national testing programme,” say senior public health officials.
“We have also raised data quality problems with the national PHE Team which may be impacting our results.”
A million south-east Londoners are in line for the coronavirus vaccine when it is available, the report also states.
Under current plans, 1,006,000 people living in south-east London will need the vaccine.
“We know that the Covid vaccine will only be available in small quantities, currently expected no earlier than 1st December,” says Jessica Arnold, Director of Flu and Covid Vaccinations at the CCG.
First priority will be given to care home residents and staff, and then to those who are over the age of eighty.