Covid app pings drop despite rise in cases

The number of pings sent in Brighton and Hove has fallen this week, despite a rise in cases.

Figures published today show number of positive tests reported to the app in the week ending 14 July rose by about 8.2%.  the number of alerts sent out by the app dropped by 6.6%.

The number of positive tests in the city rose by almost 7% in the same time period.

In the previous week, cases rose 22% and alerts rose 28% – and the week before that, cases rose 11% while alerts rose a massive 92%.

The number of people checking into venues has also been steadily falling since a peak of 113,108 in the week ending June 2.

In the week ending July 14, 74,860 people checked into venues in Brighton and Hove, down from 82,475 the week before, and 91,565 in the last week of June.

Data for how many venue alerts were sent out is not available at local authority level.

One possible reason for the drop is that people are deleting the app following what Boris Johnson dubbed Freedom Day on July 19, when most restrictions were dropped.

However, the government is still urging people to self-isolate if they are contacted, and to keep the app on their phone.

Jake, a marketing executive, deleted the app two weeks ago. He said: “I had to isolate for ten days, I didn’t get paid for my time off, I now can’t afford to pay my rent (especially with Brighton rent prices).

“I physically cannot afford to take any more unpaid time off of work.

“I never deleted the app to hurt anybody, but I have to put my family first.”

A Brighton head chef told Brighton and Hove News they had deleted the app about a month ago: “I have been working myself to the bone having to cover extra hours because my chefs have been told by the NHS app to self isolate.

“For me I’m extremely vigilant (as vigilant as I can be working at close quarters in a hot kitchen). I’m double jabbed, I also test myself at home three times a week and encourage my staff to do the same.

“If I was to be contacted and told to self isolate simply put my business wouldn’t be able to operate which in turn would leave my staff with no work.”

While there is still a legal duty to self-isolate for ten days if you are contacted directly by NHS Test and Trace, this does not apply to people contacted via the app.

Anyone who has had two vaccine doses and the under-18s will not have any legal duty to self-isolate from August 16.

Alerts are sent to NHS Covid-19 app users who have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus.