Nearly 1,500 Peterborough people ‘pinged’ by COVID tracker app in space of a week

Nearly 1,500 people in Peterborough were ‘pinged’ by the COVID tracker app in the space of a week - the highest number since the app was introduced.
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In the seven days up to July 14, a total of 1,492 people in the city received an alert from the app.

Alerts are sent to NHS COVID-19 app users who have been in ‘close contact’ with someone who has tested positive for coronavirus. They are then advised to self isolate to prevent the spread of the virus.

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There have been fears that the number of people being ‘pinged’ by the app across the country will lead to staff shortages in crucial industries - the so called ‘pingdemic.’

People all over Peterborough are being 'pinged' by the test and trace appPeople all over Peterborough are being 'pinged' by the test and trace app
People all over Peterborough are being 'pinged' by the test and trace app

In Peterborough the last four weeks have seen record breaking numbers of people being pinged in the city.

According to NHS data, previously, the highest number of pings in a week was 305 on the week ending February 3 - the first week data is available for.

However, for the week ending June 23, that record grew to 341. The following week 598 people were pinged, followed by 1,128 the next week.

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In total, since the app was launched, there have been 9,554 alerts sent out in Peterborough.

If you are ‘pinged’ by the app, it is advised you self isolate, but it is not a legal requirement. Downloading the app is also voluntary.

If you are contacted by the NHS Test and Trace Service and told to self isolate, you must do so.

There is no data available for how many people have downloaded the app in Peterborough - but across England and Wales the app has been downloaded 26,826,748 times.