Thousands of Kingston residents are being 'pinged' by the NHS Covid-19 app, causing staff shortages and cuts to vital services across the borough.

2,223 people in Kingston upon Thames were contacted through the Test & Trace app and told to self-isolate in the week ending July 14.

This is up 71.5% from the number contacted 2 weeks earlier, and more than triple those 'pinged' in the second last week of June.

The situation in Kingston has led to staff shortages in vital services, as those contacted by the app must isolate for 10 days - even if they are double-jabbed and have tested negative for the virus.

As we reported last week, Kingston Council has bin collections as a result of sel-isolating staff, while South London train services have also been disrupted.

While many have complained about the impact of the 'pingdemic' others have defended the government's approach.

Solicitor General Lucy Frazer told Sky news: "In addition to the changes in mid-August, the Government is also carrying out a number of pilots to see whether instead of isolating when you get pinged, you could take a test.

"The Government is looking at this very carefully, recognising the significant impact this is having on businesses."

Scientists have also defended the app saying it is working as intended and has averted thousands of Covid cases.

They argue that the surge in people being contacted is due to a rise in cases, with daily infection rates climbing to over 50,000 earlier this month.

However, this week there has been a dip in the number of cases across the UK , with government statistics showing 24,950 new cases on July 26, down 15,000 on the week before.

Kingston's 'pingdemic' also appears to be slowing, as the percentage rise between the 14 July and 7 July figures was only 18%.

Whether this is due to reduced case rates or an increase in people deleting the app remains to be seen.

For the latest information on Covid restrictions in Kingston check out our guide .

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