JOKE JOKE JOKE25 Aug 2021 18:51
Dear Mr ----, Freedom of Information Request Reference FOI-1346407 Thank you for your request dated 14 July, in which you asked the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC): “I would like to know when the Innova and Orient Gene lateral flow antigen tests imported from China were shown to be effective in picking up the Delta Variant of Covid, who carried out this evaluation and when and where the Sensitivity and Specificity results are published. I would further request a comparison between the S&S results of these tests when used in real life situations, compared with tests manufactured by U.K.-based Avacta and Mologic.”
I can confirm that DHSC holds information about Innova tests that is relevant to your request. However, as the information held by DHSC is in the public domain we will, under Section 21 of the FOIA (information accessible to the applicant by other means), refer you to the published source. The information is available in a report that can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/999867/in-vitro-and-clinical-post-market-surveillance-of-Biotime-SARS-CoV-2-Lateral-Flow-Antigen-Device-in-detecting-the-SARS-CoV-2-Delta-variant-B.1.617.2.pdf
DHSC holds information about Orient Gene tests that is relevant to your request. However, it is being withheld under Section 22, which states that public bodies are not obliged to disclose information that is intended for future publication. Section 22 is a qualified exemption and, as such, we are required to assess as objectively as possible whether the balance of public interest favours disclosing or withholding the information.
We recognise that there is strong public interest in information being made as freely available as possible, and that disclosure leads to greater transparency in Government. However, there is also very strong public interest in ensuring that information is made available to everyone at the same time, thereby ensuring equity of access. Releasing this information now may also interfere with our established process for publishing information to ensure that only accurate and validated data is released.
Therefore, DHSC concludes that the public interest in withholding this information outweighs the public interest in its release at this time. DHSC takes the view that the public interest in the disclosure of this information will be satisfied by its publication in the future. DHSC does not hold information on a comparative study between the two China-manufactured tests and the two UK-manufactured tests.
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