The Government has claimed over 1.7 million people have been reached through its test and trace programme, while around 10 million in the UK have been tested on at least one occasion.

Figures released today by the Department of Health and Social Care show that more than 32.7 million tests have been processed since the service started on May 28.

The DHSC also said 624 test sites have been set up and are operational with “more opening every week” while the median distance people have to travel to a test centre has decreased to 2.7 miles.

The Government claims to have exceeded its target of having 500,000 testing capacity by the end of October, but that does not reveal how many tests were actually carried out.

The latest figures also claim the time taken for 'in-person' test results to reach an individual has improved. The DHSC said over 1.96 million tests were processed between October 22-28, a rise of 67,435 on the week before, with three out of five people getting their results the following day.

“NHS Test and Trace focuses on using the increase in capacity to deliver on-going improvements to turnaround times and these continue to trend positively,” the DHSC said.