In its first week of operation, England’s coronavirus contact tracing scheme was unable to reach a third of the people who tested positive for the virus, official figures show.

The NHS Test and Trace system has been hailed as a vital way for the country to manage the epidemic as it relaxes lockdown and social distancing measures. It involves asking people who have been in close contact with someone who has the virus to self-isolate.

The first statistics for the scheme, released today, …