A total of 698,646 “pings” were sent to people in England and Wales between 16 December and 22 December. That is nearly 8,000 more than the previous record of 690,711 sent during a seven-day period in July.
Data for the Christmas period is not yet available.
People “pinged” by the app with a “close contact” alert are advised to take daily Covid tests - or self-isolate if they are unvaccinated and over 18 - in order to reduce the likelihood of Covid transmission, but there is no legal requirement for them to do so.
During the summer, the app caused concern when large numbers of workers in various industries received pings, leaving them temporarily unable to do their jobs while they isolated. A poll conducted at the time suggested a third of 18-34-year-olds had deleted the app, with another third planning to do so.
Reports of positive test results also reached a new high - 243,406 across England and Wales during the same seven-day period ending on 22 December.
Not everyone who receives a positive result uses the app or will necessarily upload their result.
Official data shows that record numbers of positive cases have been recorded across the UK during recent days, with 189,213 added on 30 December alone.
I’m amazed that anyone is still using the incredibly expensive, incredibly inefficient app … 