Covid-19 cases soar in dozens of areas of England following spreadsheet error

An NHS Test and Trace logo on a member of staff’s jacket. File Picture

The weekly rate of new Covid-19 cases has soared in dozens of areas of England, following the addition of nearly 16,000 cases that went unreported because of a technical error with an Excel spreadsheet.

The problem has led to a delay in efforts by the UK's National Health Service (NHS) Test and Trace to find the contacts of those who tested positive for the virus, in some cases by around a week.