SARS-CoV-2 variants

The request was partially successful.

Dear Public Health England,

This is a request for information squarely within the purview of the Public Interest doctrine.
This request comes from rights set forth at section 1 Freedom of Information Act 2000.

i. Please provide the information as recorded and held by Public Health England demonstrating the method of how the so-called SARS-CoV-2 “variants” (which is not a term synonymous with biology, pathology or chemistry) are initially detected?

ii. Please provide the information as recorded and held by Public Health England identifying the laboratory in which the variant isolates from patient samples are to be inspected and analysed for verification by independent scientists (chemists and biologists).

iii. Please provide the information as recorded and held by Public Health England demonstrating that the SARS-CoV-2 “variant” isolates have been purified so as to remove genetic material which may be identical to the variant.

iv. Please provide the information as recorded and held by Public Health England demonstrating how COVID-19 disease is biologically and pathologically different from pneumonia (lung inflammation) and long identified diseases arising from inflammation of the tracheobronchial tree.

N.B. Positive results arising from either a rt-PCR or Lateral Flow test appear to be erroneously and falsely reported as “cases” or “infections”.

v. Please provide the information as recorded and held by Public Health England proving or demonstrating that these PCR and Lateral Flow tests are absolutely confirmative of a SARS-CoV-2 case or infection and upon such confirmation does thereby diagnose a healthy male or female sick with COVID-19 despite presenting no symptoms of a disease?

N.B. — section v. of this request is of extreme importance since individuals, save for G7 leaders and EURO officials et al., are placed into a quarantine paradigm upon positive test result, which may amount to False Imprisonment, Deprivation of Liberty and Restriction of Movement contrary to common law, and Other Inhumane Acts (OIA) contrary to International Law, without the currency of an evidence base.

We anticipate service by way of reply within 20 working days as tolled by statutory provision. If you Public Health England do not have all or some of the information, kindly direct us to the relevant HM Government Office or Department or Instrumentality (Agency) in order for us to achieve disclosure of the information we seek.

Yours faithfully,

P Newton

FOI, Public Health England

OFFICIAL

Dear P. Newton,

We acknowledge receipt of your email and request for information, which will be treated as a request for information under statutory access legislation.

Please note that requests under the Freedom of Information Act and the Environmental Information Regulations (EIRs) will receive a response within 20 working days from the day following the date of receipt of your request.

If the request is for your personal data, your request has been handled as a data subject access request (SAR) under Article 15 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), then we will respond within one month of the receipt of the request.

Public Health England (PHE) is responsible for providing guidance and advice to government and front-line services for all aspects of public health. It is a designated Category 1 responder organisation under the Civil Contingency Act and this specifically includes the COVID-19 response, providing clinical expertise and wider public health advice and guidance across national and local government, the NHS and third sector. As such, you may experience delays when making statutory information access requests during the pandemic.

We will aim to address all requests promptly and within the required response timeframes. However when we are unable to meet the response timeframe we will keep requesters updated on a revised expected timescale for a response to their request. The Information Commissioner recognises this position in its recent guidance, see link: https://ico.org.uk/media/2617613/ico-reg...

Public Accountability Unit
Public Health England
[PHE request email]
Tel: 020 8327 6920
www.gov.uk/phe Follow us on Twitter @PHE UK

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Dear FOI,

The statutory timeframe in which to respond has lapsed. Please attend to providing a response post haste.

P Newton

FOI, Public Health England

1 Attachment

OFFICIAL
Dear P Newton,

Please find attached Public Health England's response to your request.

FOI Team
Public Accountability Unit
Public Health England
[PHE request email]
www.gov.uk/phe Follow us on Twitter @PHE uk

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Dear Public Health England,

Please pass this to the person responsible for internal reviews.

Point 1 has not been responded to appropriately. We asked a specific question which is;

How SARS-CoV-2 variants are initially detected? The PHE reply does not draw any attention to answer this though rather seeks diversion to general information on the government website, none of which provides substance in regard the information we seek.

Point 2 has not been responded to appropriately. We requested specific information which is;

To identify the laboratories in which variant isolates exist so can be verified by independent scientists. The PHE reply does not inform of the laboratories where independent verification can occur and instead diverts to irrelevant fictional concepts such a genotyping and genome sequencing.

Point 3 has been utterly disregarded. We requested information regarding purification.

Specifically, to provide the information that variant isolates have been purified so as to remove genetic material identical to the variant. The PHE reply does not inform and instead mentions culture work, not purification.

Point 4 is accepted as satisfied.

Point 5 has been subverted. We requested information regarding accuracy of PCR and Lateral Flow tests.

We requested information demonstrating that PCR and LF tests provide diagnosis of COVID-19. The PHE reply claims it does not hold the information, yet sits back whilst countless Britons are placed into self-isolation on the back of positive results.

Yours sincerely,

P Newton

FOI, Public Health England

OFFICIAL

Dear P. Newton,

We acknowledge receipt of your email, which will be treated as a request for an internal review, following your request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Please note we aim to complete your internal review within 20 working days from the day following the date of receipt of your request. We will notify you if we anticipate the internal review taking longer than 20 working days.

FOI Team
Public Accountability Unit
Public Health England
[PHE request email]
www.gov.uk/phe Follow us on Twitter @PHE UK

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FOI, Public Health England

1 Attachment

  • Attachment

    969 IR Linked to 654 Detection and identification of Covid 19 variants.pdf

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OFFICIAL
Dear P Newton,

Please find attached Public Health England's response to your request for an internal review.

Yours sincerely,

FOI Team
Public Accountability Unit
Public Health England
[PHE request email]
www.gov.uk/phe Follow us on Twitter @PHE uk

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