BOLTON'S Covid contact tracing success rate has fallen for the fourth week running, new figures reveal.

Data from the Department for Health and Social care shows that 11,946 people who tested positive for Covid-19 in Bolton were transferred to the Test and Trace service between May 28 and November 11.

That means 1,432 new cases were transferred in the latest seven-day period.

Contact tracers ask new patients to give details for anyone they were in close contact with in the 48 hours before their symptoms first started.

This led to 25,113 close contacts being identified over the period – those not managed by local health protection teams, which are dealt with either through a call centre or online services.

But just 55 per cent were reached – a figure that has been seen to fall steadily over a four-week period.

Just 55.8 per cent were reached two weeks ago, meaning 8,131 people were not contacted or did not respond.

That was slightly down from the 56.1 per cent reached up to October 21, the week before.

Across England, 58.9 per cent of contacts not managed by local health protection teams were reached and told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace in the latest week to November 11.

Local health protection teams deal with cases linked to settings such as hospitals, schools and prisons.

The contact tracing rate including these cases was 60.5 per cent – in line with the week before. Around 157,000 new cases were transferred nationally in the week to November 11, the highest weekly number since NHS Test and Trace was launched.