THE government claims that its Coronavirus test-and-trace system is “working well” despite a third of contact details not being collected and still no launch date in sight for the app.

The system involves tracing people who have had contact with those who have tested positive for Covid-19 and informing them that they must self-isolate for 14 days.

According to the scheme, the number of people not reached includes those where contact details were unavailable or incorrect, or where there has been no response to text, email and call reminders.

It also includes people who the service has been able to contact but who have not provided relevant information.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the daily Downing Street press briefing today that he had not ruled out making complying with the scheme compulsory – but that he believed it would not be necessary.

He added that getting contact details for two-thirds of people in the system’s first week of operation surpassed his expectations.

The test-and-trace system’s head, Dido Harding, said that tracers tried 10 times if necessary to get the details of those that Covid-positive people had been in physical contact with.

The Tory peer said that two-thirds of contact details was a good result for the government, but admitted that the scheme was “not at the gold standard yet that we want to be.”

Ms Harding added that the goal was to isolate all contacts within 48 hours of someone requesting a test.

Mr Hancock said that system would continue to improve and that he was “confident it will be world class.”

However, when asked how the delayed app was going, he said that it would only be introduced when “it is right to do so.”

He previously said that it would be rolled-out in mid-May, and then by 1 June.

Baroness Harding was unable to give a date for the launch of the app.

She said that the app “is the cherry on the cake, it’s not the cake itself and what you are seeing today is the first baking of the cake going reasonably well.”