Health officials are closing in on the mystery missing patient with the more virulent Brazilian variant of Covid-19, Matt Hancock says.
The search has “narrowed down to 379 households in the south-east”, the health secretary told MPs, adding: “We are contacting each one.”
He also said just 0.1 per cent of people who take tests fail to fill in a registration card, after Downing Street was unable to say the extent of the problem.
Officials have been hunting for the individual, one of six people infected with the “variant of concern” from Brazil – but the only one who provided no information about themselves.
He or she is believed to have completed a home test, or one provided by a local authority, as staff at testing centres check that contact details are submitted.
The search had triggered criticism that Boris Johnson is “complacent” about the threat posed by new variants, some of which respond less well to vaccines.
Mr Hancock told MPs that, “unfortunately”, the person concerned “didn’t successfully complete the contact details”, but insisted: “Incidents like this are rare and only occur in around 0.1 per cent of tests.
He said: “We’ve identified the batch of home test kits in question, our search has narrowed from the whole country down to 379 households in the south-east of England and we’re contacting each one.
“We’re grateful that a number of potential cases have come forward following the call that we put out over the weekend.”
And he added: “Our current vaccines have not yet been studied against this variant and we’re working to understand what impact it might have.
“But we do know that this variant has caused significant challenges in Brazil, so we’re doing all we can to stop the spread of this new variant in the UK, to analyse its effects and to develop an updated vaccine that works on all these variants of concern and protect the progress that we’ve made as a nation.”
The arrival of the P1 variant, from Manaus, saw oneleading scientist accuse the prime minister of “complacency”, while another said people should be “worried” about the added risk.
But Mr Johnson brushed off fears of delay to his roadmap for easing the lockdown, which would see international travel allowed after mid-May – if key tests are met.
And both Mr Hancock and Public Health England have spoken of their confidence that further infections with the Brazil strain have been prevented.
The health secretary also said over-60s were now being invited for vaccinations, saying: “Although the day-to-day figures of supply are lumpy, we have some bumper weeks ahead later this month.
“Given that our vaccination programme began 12 weeks ago today, from now we begin in earnest our programme of second vaccinations which ramps up over the month of March.
“I can assure the House that we have factored these second jabs into our supply projections and we’re on track to meet our target of offering a vaccine to all priority groups one to nine by April 15 and all adults by the end of July.”
