If (here she goes again, big sigh) if you don’t know the people you’ve contacted will ‘they’ put a big black cross on your front door and paste up your photo in wherever you’ve been asking if anyone recognises you? ‘Did you have contact with this person on…’
Asking for a friend. :shock:
Exactly … the “contact” system is full of holes … 
or you don’t have a mobile phone? is the government going to give me one and pay for all the costs and charges for its use?
They have yet again gone off half cock without checking to see if absolutely everyone has a mobile phone
Unless they find a way to make everyone infected turn purple I can’t see how we can protect ourselves.
Government criticised over use of testing data
Sir David Norgrove, the chairman of the UK’s statistics watchdog, the UK Statistics Authority, has criticised the government over its handling of coronavirus testing data, saying that the presentation of figures appeared to be aimed at showing “the largest possible number of tests, even at the expense of understanding”. He has written to Health Secretary Matt Hancock saying the information presented is “far from complete”.
On Sunday Mr Hancock announced that the UK had exceeded its target to increase coronavirus testing capacity to 200,000 a day by the end of May. While capacity for testing is over 200,000, only around 115,000 tests were carried out in the 24 hours up to 09:00 BST on Sunday.
The headline total of tests adds together tests carried out with tests posted out. There are no data on how many of the tests posted out are then successfully completed.
It is not clear how many people were tested, however, and a person may need to have a few tests in order to get a result. The government stopped reporting that number recently.
The Government has not so far explained how many home test kits sent out to the public have actually been returned.
Shambolic testing, shambolic statistics and the highest coronavirus death rate in Europe while lockdown is not only relaxed but seemingly abused by tens of thousands of “pleasure-seekers” … 
Coronavirus contact tracer ‘paid to watch Netflix’
A contact tracer working on the NHS Test and Trace coronavirus scheme says she has not been asked to speak to anyone since beginning work last week.
The clinician told the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire she had worked 38 hours but had yet to make a single phone call and spent the time watching Netflix.
"I’ve had no contact from anyone. I’ve had no contact from supervisors. I’ve literally been on the system, refreshed the system, and entertained myself during that watching Netflix.
“I’ve just watched it alongside going back to the system, refreshing it, occasionally having to log back in because it’s timed out. I have yet to have contact with anybody regarding contact tracing.”
“Becky” told Victoria Derbyshire there seemed to be a lack of work for contact tracers
Anthony Costello is a professor of global health at University College London who formerly worked at the World Health Organization (WHO).
He told Victoria Derbyshire the Test and Trace system was unlikely to be picking up more than 30% of coronavirus cases and may be missing at least two-thirds of contacts.
"That’s why your nurse has not had any calls. It is not fit for purpose yet. The worrying thing is can it ever be fit for purpose? " he said.
It’s a shambles … :!: Who’s in charge … :?: Oh, yeah … Dido … :roll:
Coronavirus: France’s virus-tracing app ‘off to a good start’
France’s digital minister has said its coronavirus contact-tracing app has been downloaded 600,000 times since it became available on Tuesday afternoon.
StopCovid France is designed to prevent a second wave of infections by using smartphone logs to warn users if they have been near someone who later tested positive for the virus.
But a last-minute launch delay led some citizens to download the wrong product.
Meanwhile, the dead pile up in the UK …
I suppose Dido’s busy at the Jockey Club preparing for the next “meeting” … 
There were two articles in the paper the other day which might interest you.
The first was written by Jennifer Arcuri (the lady who was supposed to have been ‘associated’ with Boris a few months back if you remember.
She said:
" There is no way I would download that app."
The App, which may eventually hold data on millions of Brits, is set to be rolled across the UK after it’s Isle of Wight trial.
Ms Arcuri raised her fears in an exclusive interview.
She said: " The government can say they’re doing their best to keep it secure, there’s just no guarantee it’s 100% secure or the data is going to be kept secure, encrypted and used only for this.
“I don’t think people should give away their freedoms.”
Ms Arcuri’s firm ‘Hacker House’ found glaring flaws in NHS cyber security in 2016. She said: " Anything like your personal health data in a government database being used in some obscure app just raises all kind of flags for me. It became very apparent that the NHS was ill-equipped for a cyber attack. I don’t think Covid 19 is an effective way of using tech money or trying to cure one’s health. I do not believe it is an acceptable use of government time, energy or money."
The second article was by one of the thousands of contact tracers being hired.
The insider said the firm ‘Sitel’ who are recruiting thousands of workers for the Government, are not asking for any proof of their background checks.
The man says: " It’s so dangerous. We were sent a link to a firm called Giant Screening. We were told rather than choosing to send the check results back to to Sitel, we should have it sent to our own address.
“Since then, I’ve started work but not a single person has asked for proof. I could have a criminal record. And I’ve got access to all of these phone numbers.”
Individuals can only apply for a basic DBS check, giving details of unspent criminal convictions or conditional cautions. Employers can carry out enhanced checks, which give a full criminal record history, as well as data on any cautions, reprimands and final warnings.
Barring Lists which show if an applicant is banned from working with vulnerable groups can only be accessed via an enhanced check.
This man said he had no idea it was an NHS role when he replied to Sitel’s job advert. The post simply advertised a “customer services adviser” role.
The insider said “I thought it was a normal call centre job. The interview was 5 minutes.”
Apparently Sitel did not respond to a request for comment.
Shocking … :shock:
Testing chart mysteriously disappears from Downing Street’s daily briefing - Dido Harding refuses to reveal how many tests are completed within 24 hours
The disappearance of the graph, which gives a day-by-day count of how many tests are being done, is the latest in a string of shambles in Britain’s testing strategy.
Echoes of her notorious response, during the 2015 TalkTalk cyber-attack (in which personal and banking details of up to four million customers are thought to have been accessed), when asked if the affected customer data was encrypted or not, she replied: “The awful truth is that I don’t know”.
The woman is either stupid or incompetent … :mad2:
NHS contact-tracing app in place by end of month, says minister
A new NHS coronavirus contact-tracing app should be in place by the end of the month, a minister has said.
Business minister Nadhim Zahawi said the app - which was trialled in the Isle of Wight - will “be running as soon as we think it is robust”.
Last week new test and trace systems were launched in England and Scotland - but without the app due to delays.
The Guardian reported an NHS boss said the wider scheme would be imperfect at first but “world-class” by the autumn.
The NHS app was originally planned to be part of last week’s launch of England’s test and trace scheme - but the app roll-out was delayed because more trials were needed.
So, the app “may” be rolled out by June but it won’t be working properly until September or October … 
Of course, the “Dido effect” may apply and the app won’t be “perfect” until Christmas or even next Easter … :roll:
Whatever happened to the NHS contact-tracing app?
By Rory Cellan-Jones
Technology correspondent
After a first trial with an app with very limited capabilities on the Isle of Wight, version two, which features five questions about symptoms instead of two and integrates the testing process, is undergoing testing at a secret location in London.
I understand this version will then be launched as an update for Isle of Wight residents next week. But when that local trial becomes a national rollout is not clear.
Some businesses in Singapore have already adopted wearables for contact tracing in locations where smartphone usage is restricted, while governments like Bahrain and Hong Kong have used them for monitoring people under quarantine.
David Su, CEO of wireless chips firm Atmosic, said he expected “multiple governments, if not all governments in Asia” to adopt wearables because they are an affordable and reliable way to ensure widespread automated contact tracing.
A simple wristband with a Bluetooth chip, battery and some memory could cost about $10, or possibly less, according to vendors.
The future is here - people tagged like cattle … :shock:
Another way that COVID-19 has changed life on this planet forever … :!:
Third of positive Covid-19 tests ‘not traced’
One third of people who tested positive for Covid-19 could not be reached by the NHS test and trace programme in its first week of operation or failed to provide contact details, data shows.
Some 8,117 people who tested positive for Covid-19 in England had their case transferred to the NHS test and trace contact tracing system, of whom 5,407 (67%) were reached, while 2,710 (33%) were not.
Dido Harding, the head of the programme, admitted it was not yet the promised “gold standard” service, but described it as “functioning”.
Overall, 31,794 contacts were identified and, of these, 26,985 were reached and advised to self-isolate between 28 May and 3 June.
Of those people who were reached and asked to provide information about their contacts, just over three-quarters (79%) were contacted within 24 hours of their case being transferred to the test and trace system.
Some 14% were contacted between 24 and 48 hours, 3% between 48 and 72 hours, and 4% were contacted after 72 hours.
“Functioning” is not good enough …
Where were the tests bought from?
I’ve been seeing lots of posts about unreliable tests - negative one minute, positive the next.
E.g. Test in late April - result given next day = negative.
FOUR WEEKS LATER contact was again made and told the test was “unclear”.
YESTERDAY - contact made to show that test was in fact positive (some mix-up with barcodes) so informed to self-isolate etc etc…44 DAYS AFTER BEING TESTED!
Other posts include:
Had a test 5 weeks ago - still waiting for the result
Tested yesterday and got the results today.
How can we get this virus under control with such lousy testing…
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said it was the public’s “civic duty” to follow instructions given by contact tracers.
Speaking at the daily coronavirus briefing, he added he was not ruling out enforcement measures to make people self-isolate for 14 days if asked to do so.
“Civic duty” … 
That disappeared years ago … nowadays, it’s all about self-promotion and self-gratification …
When millions of people disobey the rules and head for the seaside, the countryside, the streets and, soon, the shops, how will Hancock “enforce” anything … :shock:
Ministers consider NHS contact-tracing app rethink
Concerns about the risks of deploying a go-it-alone UK coronavirus contact-tracing app are causing further delays.
A second version of the smartphone software was due to have begun testing on the Isle of Wight on Tuesday, but the government decided to postpone the trial.
Ministers are considering switching the app over to tech developed by Apple and Google.
But countries testing that model are experiencing issues of their own.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock had originally said the NHS Covid-19 app was to be launched across England - and possibly other parts of the UK - by 1 June.
But he subsequently said the government had decided it would be better to establish a network of human contact tracers first.
However, the BBC has discovered that one of the main reasons the initiative is running behind schedule is that developers are having problems using Bluetooth as a means to estimate distance.
Even so, they still believe they are better placed to tackle the challenge than counterparts overseas who are working under constraints imposed by the two US tech firms.
Dido + Deployment = Shambles … :roll:
A government minister has said the NHS coronavirus contact-tracing app is “not a priority” and he was not sure it would be out by winter.
Lord Bethell, the Minister for Innovation at the Department of Health and Social Care, said he was unable to give a date for its launch.
But he insisted that the trial “has gone very well indeed”.
He was responding to questions at the Science and Technology Committee on Wednesday afternoon.
“We are seeking to get something (sic) going for the winter, but it isn’t the priority for us at the moment,” Lord Bethell said in answer to a question about the app.
He admitted that was “an expectation of management answer, saying I can’t give you a date”.
Lord Bethell said it was still the government’s intention to launch it at some point.
It’s the Kiss of Death from Dido …:shock:
No doubt that by next Easter, when the vaccine arrives (possibly) we’ll “buy” in an app solution …
What has caused the delay on the UK tracing app? We in Oz have had ours up and running for a month with some 8 mill uploading the app since.
AFAIK, few tracing apps work perfectly (even the Australian one has problems) but the UK model has been a disaster, technologically, from the outset, as it adopts the centralised approach. This has been compounded by putting the technologically inept Dido Harding (in charge of TalkTalk, when 4,000,000 accounts were hacked) in charge of the project.
We haven’t got to wait that long:
UK virus-tracing app switches to Google-Apple model
The move comes the day after the BBC revealed that a former Apple executive, Simon Thompson, was taking charge of the late-running project.
The Apple-Google design has been promoted as being more privacy-centric.
However, it means epidemiologists will have access to less data.
And questions remain about whether any smartphone-based system reliant on Bluetooth signals will be accurate enough to be useful.
I wonder if he’s told Dido … 