Figures reveal how many people across South Tyneside have been ordered to self-isolate as 'pingdemic' numbers soar across the UK

Across the borough during the seven days up to Wednesday, July 7, 3,210 people were notified they had been in ‘close contact’ with someone with the virus via the NHS Covid app.

The week after, ending on Wednesday, July 14, that was down by 620 people, or 19.3%, to 2,590.

That placed the borough in 67th place out of all councils across England and Wales for the highest level of cases, while its national rank for the weekly increase in pings, so the biggest rise in close contact alerts, stood at 333 out of all the authorities.

The total number of alerts since September stands at 13,991, with the percentage of all those which happened in the latest week available stating at 18.5% of that number.

It comes as a record number of people across England and Wales were told to isolate by the app when more than 600,000 alerts were sent to users in a week as retailers warned of disruption.

Warnings of staffing shortages mounted as NHS figures showed 618,903 alerts were sent to users of the coronavirus app in England and Wales in the week to July 14.

Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt said the Government risks “losing social consent” for isolation if it does not immediately bring forward the relaxation of quarantine rules for the fully vaccinated.

Mr Hunt, who chairs the Health and Social Care Committee, urged ministers to bring forward the scheduled end of isolation for all fully vaccinated contacts who test negative from Monday, August 16.

The Conservative MP warned in the Commons that without scrapping that requirement and replacing it with testing “we risk losing social consent for this very, very important weapon against the virus”.

Confederation of British Industry director general Tony Danker echoed the call, saying the Government must end its “awkward compromise”.

A lorry driver shortage has also put increased pressure on the country’s grocery supply chain and empty shelves were witnessed in some supermarkets across the country.

Support your Gazette and become a subscriber today.

Enjoy unlimited access to all of our news and sport, see fewer ads, experience faster load times, test your brain with daily puzzles and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

The Shields Gazette has been on South Tyneside since 1849, and your support means we can continue telling your stories for generations to come.

Click here to subscribe.