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Thank you for contacting the Department of Health and Social Care. 

We are currently experiencing high volumes of enquiries and we are
focusing our resources on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) response.

The answers to many questions, including the latest information on
COVID-19, can be found on [1]GOV.UK, the [2]Department of Health and
Social Care website or by visiting the [3]NHS website. We may not respond
to you if the answer to your enquiry can be found on either of these
websites. Where a reply is appropriate, we aim to send a response within
18 working days, or 20 working days if your query is a Freedom of
Information request or complaint.

If you are experiencing symptoms related to COVID-19, please
visit [4]111.nhs.uk or telephone your GP surgery immediately for further
advice. Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital directly.

If you are a business interested in helping the government increase
COVID-19 testing capacity, please visit this [5]Government website. Please
note that the service to offer other COVID-19 support from your business
has closed.

If you are clinician looking to support the NHS, please visit the NHS
Professionals websitehttps://www.nhsprofessionals.nhs.uk/ for further
information. 

If you are a clinician who has retired within the last 6 years and would
like more information on how to apply for the temporary register, please
visit the NHS England
websitehttp://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/re....

If you want to volunteer during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic,
please visit this
website[6]https://www.gov.uk/volunteering/coronavi... for
more information. 

The Department of Health and Social Care does not process complaints about
the NHS or social services. If you wish to make a complaint about a
healthcare professional, an NHS organisation or a social care provider,
please visit the [7]Complaints Procedure page on GOV.UK.

You can find out more about the Department’s commitments from our Personal
Information
Charterhttps://www.gov.uk/government/organisati....

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References

Visible links
1. https://www.gov.uk/
2. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...
3. https://www.nhs.uk/
4. https://111.nhs.uk/covid-19/
5. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/help-the-gov...
6. https://www.gov.uk/volunteering/coronavi...
7. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...

Our ref: DE-1281949 

Dear Mr Williams,  
   
Thank you for your correspondence of 14 December about COVID-19. I have
been asked to reply and I apologise for the delay in doing so. 

The Freedom of Information Act only applies to recorded information such
as paper or electronic archive material.  As your correspondence asked for
general information, rather than requesting recorded information or
documentation, it did not fall under the provisions of the Act.  

The Information Commissioner’s Office has some useful information on its
website for anyone wishing to make a request under the Freedom of
Information Act, should you wish to do so in the future. This can be found
at [1]https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/off...

Scientific research from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies
(SAGE), which has been used by the Government in formulating its response
to COVID-19, can be found
at [2]https://www.gov.uk/government/collection....
This may prove helpful in finding the information you have requested about
isolating and finding a genetic code for COVID-19.  

I am sorry I cannot be more directly helpful.   

 
Yours sincerely,  
   
Aymee Smith  
Ministerial Correspondence and Public Enquiries 
Department of Health and Social Care 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
 
Please do not reply to this email. To contact the Department of Health and
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This e-mail and any attachments is intended only for the attention of the
addressee(s). Its unauthorised use, disclosure, storage or copying is not
permitted. If you are not the intended recipient, please destroy all
copies and inform the sender by return e-mail. Any views expressed in this
message are not necessarily those of the Department of Health and Social
Care. Please note: Incoming and outgoing email messages are routinely
monitored for compliance with our policy on the use of electronic
communications.

References

Visible links
1. https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/off...
2. https://www.gov.uk/government/collection...
3. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...
4. http://r1.surveysandforms.com/4c3zqo08-a...