Responding to the latest figures from NHS Test and Trace, NHS Providers deputy chief executive Saffron Cordery said:

"It is good to see the number of people who tested positive for COVID-19 has once again decreased by a further 6% this week, with now under 100,000 cases across the country. However we must not become complacent as we come out of national lockdown, with some areas still seeing local spikes, the regional tier system is crucial in helping curb further outbreaks.

"The amount of time taken for Pillar 2 test results to be turned around still remains relatively slow, despite a small improvement in the proportion of people getting a result within 24 hours.

"Of those transferred to the Test and Trace system, 86% were reached and asked to provide information about their contacts, which remains consistent. The number of contacts identified has notably decreased across the last two weeks but is still six times higher than the end of August.

"Overall, while these figures show we are moving in the right direction, we have to keep abiding by the restrictions to keep preventing the spread of COVID-19."