Public Accountability Unit
T 020 8327 6920
Wellington House
133-155 Waterloo Road
London SE1 8UG
www.gov.uk/phe
By email
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
Our ref: 06/02/nk/2729
04 March 2021
Dear Kevin Boyle
Re: Evidence regarding COVID19 person-to-person transmissibility
Thank you for your request received on 06 February 2021 addressed to Public
Health England (PHE). In accordance with Section 1(1)(a) of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 (the Act), I can confirm that PHE partly holds the information
you have specified.
Request
Please could you forward any information you have relating to experimental
evidence demonstrating that COVID-19 is person-to-person transmissible.
PHE can confirm it does not hold information in the way specified by your request.
If no such experimental evidence exists for COVID-19 please could you
forward any available evidence collected, targeting this particular issue over
the past 150 years, that demonstrates person-to-person transmissibility for
any other influenza-type illness?”
PHE can confirm it does hold this information. However, the information is exempt
under section 21 of the FOI Act because it is reasonably accessible by other means,
and the terms of the exemption mean that we do not have to consider whether or not
it would be in the public interest for you to have the information. However, for your
convenience we have included a link to the report ‘Impact of mass gatherings on
Influenza’
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attach
ment_data/file/316200/Mass_Gatherings_evidence_Review.pdf You may also find the ‘Weekly National Flu reports’ beneficial, a link has been
provided below;
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/weekly-national-flu-reports https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-track-coronavirus-cases
If you have any queries regarding the information that has been supplied to you,
please refer your query to me in writing in the first instance. If you remain dissatisfied
and would like to request an internal review, then please contact us at the address
above or by emailing
xxx@xxx.xxx.xx. Please note that you have the right to an independent review by the Information
Commissioner’s Office if a complaint cannot be resolved through the PHE
complaints procedure. The Information Commissioner’s Office can be contacted by
calling the ICO’s helpline on 0303 123 1113, visiting the ICO’s website at
www.ico.org.uk or writing to the ICO at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
Cheshire, SK9 5AF.
Yours sincerely
FOI Team
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