Our Ref: FOI 23/867

Dear Katon bouzalakos,

RE: REQUEST UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000

Thank you for your enquiry which we received on 10 November.

I confirm that your request is now being handled under the Freedom of Information Act and you should receive a reply within 20 working days from our date of receipt.

If you need to contact us again about this request, please quote the reference number above.

Please be aware that we publish FOIs replies and these are redacted and are located on our website at the following link below.
https://www.gov.uk/government/collection...

Kind Regards,

MHRA Customer Experience Centre
Communications and engagement team
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf,
London E14 4PU
Telephone 020 3080 6000

show quoted sections

Dear Katon Bouzalakos,

Many thanks for your request for information, dated 10 November 2023,
where you asked the following:

How and in what way you believe and expect to achieve effective immunity
and specifically herd immunity against covid 19 virus, which is mutating
all the time creating dozens of different mutations every year, thus
achieving to trick the immune systems even through natural infection?

Our Response:

We do not hold information on the herd immunity aspect of your question.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) regulates
medicines, medical devices and blood components for transfusion in the UK.
As part of our role we authorise (license) vaccines, such as those used
for COVID-19, based on an assessment of their quality, safety and
efficacy. Information regarding the licensing of the COVID-19 vaccines,
including those that have been developed for new variants that have
emerged since the original strain, is available in the Public Assessment
Reports, published on our website:

[1]https://products.mhra.gov.uk

Your specific questions regarding immunity against COVID-19 at the
population level are likely to fall within the remit of the UK Health
Security Agency (UKHSA).

They can be contacted as follows:

Email:  [2][email address]

Telephone: 020 7654 8000

The UKHSA also publishes 'the green book', which includes detailed
information about the COVID-19 vaccines, the dosage and schedule for the
UK, and recommendations for the use of the vaccines. It also discusses the
emergence of new variants and has information on immunity. Please find a
link to the relevant chapter of the green book below (Chapter 14a), which
you may find useful:

[3]https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...

We now consider this request closed. If you are unhappy with our decision,
you may ask for it to be reviewed. That review will be undertaken by a
senior member of the Agency who has not previously been involved in your
request. If you wish to pursue that option please email:
[4][MHRA request email]

After that, if you remain dissatisfied, you may write to the Information
Commissioner at; The Information Commissioner’s Office Wycliffe House
Water Lane Wilmslow Cheshire

SK9 5AF

They will make a decision on whether or not we have interpreted the FOIA
correctly in handling your request.

Yours sincerely,

HQA FOI Team

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References

Visible links
1. https://products.mhra.gov.uk/
2. mailto:[email address]
3. https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio...
4. mailto:[MHRA request email]
5. https://www.gov.uk/help/terms-conditions