MATT Hancock will address MPs today (October 5, 2020) after a data blunder resulted in 16,000 Covid-19 cases going unreported.
The health secretary will give a statement to Parliament around the NHS Track and Trace error, amid rising rates of infections and a growing number of new daily deaths.
What time is Matt Hancock’s statement?
Health Secretary Matt Hancock will make a Commons statement on Monday afternoon on the issue.
It is unclear what time the statement will be made but it is thought it could be made sometime after 4.30pm today (Monday October 5, 2020).
What is Matt Hancock expected to announce?
Mr Hancock’s speech will address the rising weekly rate of new Covid-19 cases in dozens of areas of England.
He will also discuss the recent addition of nearly 16,000 cases, all of which originally went unreported because of a technical error with an Excel spreadsheet.
The problem has led to a delay in efforts by NHS Test and Trace to find the contacts of those who tested positive for the virus, in some cases by around a week.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson was unable to say on Monday morning how many contacts of positive coronavirus cases had been missed.
Analysis by the PA news agency shows that Manchester now has the highest rate in England, with 2,740 cases recorded in the seven days to October 1 – the equivalent of 495.6 cases per 100,000 people, up from 223.2 in the previous week.
Liverpool has the second highest rate, up from 287.1 to 456.4, with 2,273 new cases and Knowsley in Merseyside is in third place, up from 300.3 to 452.1, with 682 new cases.
It comes as scientists raised concerns that potentially thousands of people who are contacts of those with Covid-19 may have spread the virus in the last week.
The analysis, based on Public Health England (PHE) data published on Sunday night, also shows sharp rises in Newcastle upon Tyne, Nottingham, Leeds and and Sheffield
How do I watch Matt Hancock’s statement?
You can watch Matt Hancock deliver his address to the house on television.
You can watch the speech via BBC News or BBC Parliament.
Alternatively you can watch the address live via Parliamentlive.tv online.
