Leeds Covid expert says Government computer blunder ‘unacceptable’

There were a total of 2,177 new cases in Leeds following a review, according to latest figures.

Leeds City Council said the weekly Covid-19 infection rate in the city was now 216.3 per 100,000 people – up from 138 last week.

It has emerged that the big leap in cases occurred due to a “technical issue” which was found on Friday evening.

This glitch meant that 15,841 cases between September 25 and October 2 were left out of the reported daily coronavirus cases.

Dr Stephen Griffin, a viral oncologist based in the University of Leeds, said it would be difficult for local and national governments to plan responses to Covid cases if they can’t trust the numbers.

He said: “One important aspect in the mix up was that we really needed to understand whether the local measures were working – it’s going to be hard to understand that now.

“They need to get us some concrete numbers on whether the rates are coming down. It’s really hard to get to the bottom of it if you can’t rely on your test numbers – it’s hard to know what it going on.”

The computer glitch was revealed over the weekend. The resulting figures showed official infection numbers ballooning in other northern cities, with Manchester and Liverpool the worst affected.

“My first reaction when I saw this was ‘good grief’,” added Dr Griffin. “But if you look back and look at the data, we saw the majority in the last few days.

“It’s hard to make a decision on these numbers because we are not sure on them – this is a real frustration. I don’t know what (the Government) is going to do now.

“We need to look at the test and trace system and the way they are delivering it – it’s unacceptable for this to happen. We have excellent experts in public health in this country and we should be trusting that.”

It follows a local lockdown introduced in Leeds last month in which it is against the law, save for special circumstances, for individuals to enter another person’s home or garden. Government also advises households not to mix in public places.

Leader of Leeds City Council Judith Blake said: “As is the case for many large cities across the country, the recent delay in national recording of positive tests for COVID-19 has resulted in a sharp rise in reported cases in Leeds over the weekend. The delay in tracing people who have been in contact with those who tested positive is also a concern.

“It is too early to know what the impact of this will be for Leeds and across the country, in terms of any potential further restrictions.

“However, the continued increase in the number of cases means it is absolutely critical that we all follow the latest rules and guidance in order to contain the spread of the virus and protect the city. We urge everyone to play their part to help keep each other safe.”