Coronavirus: Close contacts of COVID cases continue to climb but only half have been tested

As COVID cases continue to climb so does the number of close contacts - but less than half have been tested. 

There are more than 5600 known contacts. Of these contacts, only 72 percent have been contacted meaning more than 1500 have had no contact.

And only half have been tested - which means there are 2670 contacts without a test.

The system is under pressure and a COVID modeller warns it's a "worrying sign".

"There are signs the contact tracing system is coming under increasing strain," Professor Michael Plank tells Newshub. 

Prof Plank says one option could be self-contact tracing while you're self-isolating.

"It works at scale and it doesn't rely entirely on those contact tracing teams doing that labour-intensive contact tracing work," he says.

The current contact tracing system is outdated and not fit for Delta. It failed to trace outbreaks in hard to reach communities like gangs and the Government knows it's not coping so it's being reviewed.

But, there is some good news if you are a close contact, your time in isolation has been halved.

Baby Boston came into the world a bit early but he's doing really well.

Newshub first met mum Tiffany after she was told she couldn't see Boston for 28 days because she lived with her COVID-positive dad.

"We would Facetime every day and then I'd get off the phone and I'd just start bawling my eyes out every single day," Tiffany says. 

She's had one jab, her partner Royston has had two and after 11 days, health officials let them see their son.

"My family was all complete and my heart was so full," Tiffany says. 

Others won't have to go through the same. Instead of 14 days, household contacts now have to isolate for 10 days if they haven't had symptoms for 72 hours.

If you're a close contact and fully vaccinated, you only have to isolate for seven days but if you've only had one jab or none at all it's 10 days.

Watch the full story above.