Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 21 April 2020 to Question 34316, what data his Department collects on the testing of close contacts of people who (a) have been or (b) are suspected as having been infected with covid-19.
Until 12 March, during the containment phase of the COVID-19 response, Public Health England (PHE) tested people with symptoms of COVID-19.
Close contacts of people who were or were suspected of having been infected with COVID-19 who did not display symptoms, were not tested. 3,494 contacts were identified from 302 confirmed cases up to 12 March. Those who developed symptoms were advised to be tested and that those who test positive were listed as cases in the national figures, available to view at the following link:
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/