The research, led by King’s College London, found that only 18.2 per cent of people who reported having symptoms of Covid-19 in the last seven days had not left home since the symptoms developed, and only 11.9pc requested a Covid-19 test.

A majority were also unable to identify the symptoms of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus.

The research raises major questions about the effectiveness of England’s Test and Trace programme as Prime Minister Boris Johnson seeks to keep a lid on rising infection numbers with new restrictions.