Member Info for D0berman

Freedom of Information Team
Department of Health and Social Care
39 Victoria Street
London
SW1H 0EU
www.gov.uk/dhsc
Mr ---------------
10 August 2021
Dear Mr ------,
Freedom of Information Request Reference FOI-1346345
Thank you for your request dated 14 July 2021 in which you asked the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC):
“I would like to know what PCR Cycle Threshold (CT) is currently being used to ascertain the number of Covid cases in the UK and whether it is in line with WHO recommendations.
I would also like to know what the CT rate has been historically over the past 18 months and the dates upon which the threshold rate has changed.”
Your request has been handled under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
DHSC holds the information you requested.
A typical RT-PCR assay will have a maximum of 40 thermal cycles. The lower the Ct value the higher the quantity of viral genetic material in the sample (as an approximate proxy for viral load). Ct values obtained in this way are semi-quantitative and are able to distinguish between high and low viral load.
Ct values cannot be directly compared between assays of different types due to variation in the sensitivity (limit of detection), chemistry of reagents, gene targets, cycle parameters, analytical in-terpretive methods, sample preparation and extraction techniques (gov.uk).
While the labs do record CT values for analysed test samples, a data collection exercise is not via-ble currently.
More information on PCR CT values is available here - Cycle threshold (Ct) in SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
With regard to WHO recommendations, it is not clear which recommendations you are referring to. I should point out that whilst the FOIA provides a right of access to recorded information held by public authorities (typically including information such as emails, letters, documents, reports, poli-cies and datasets), it does not require public authorities to generate new information to answer questions, including providing explanations or giving opinions, unless this is recorded information that they already hold.

Anyone seen the ABDX RNS yet??

Excellent research Bella, always excellent. xx

1 - A veteran Tory MP is taking money from a crisis communications firm to coach its corporate clients on how to swerve parliamentary scrutiny.
James Gray is paid to train witnesses to side-step tricky questions thrown at them by Commons select committees.
For an MP to be making side-money from such coaching while sitting on three important committees himself, including one concerned with Commons procedures, is unconventional to say the least!

2 - A Muslim police officer hailed as a role model for bravely confronting anti-lockdown protesters was facing an urgent investigation last night after it was revealed she tweeted a torrent of ****** messages and was in regular contact with a suspected female jihadi in Syria.

3 - Dominic Raab has been criticised for dodging Covid quarantine after a diplomatic trip to France - meeting mask-less with Princess Anne just two days later .
The Foreign Secretary was in Paris for a meeting with French counterpart Yves Le-Drian on July 27, when France was still on the amber-plus list - meaning mandatory quarantine for any Brits returning from the country.
But Raab used an exemption for Cabinet ministers to dodge the isolation period, and just a day later was meeting with Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta in London.

Can't find on Google - there was a Director, Phil Thomas, but says he resigned 5 or so years ago. However LinkedIn still shows him as Director. TrustPilot shows reviews as dreadful.
Reason for posting this is - I have no green boxes at all this morning, the company needs to ramp up their banning of these reprobates!!!

Wouldn't it be nice if all the newspaper editors of all the UK newspapers got together and decided to liaise and on 1 particular day ran a complete breakdown of all the corruption within Government re contracts etc and the shambles re Porton Down, Innova, non UK contracts, Ministerial non isolation , etc, etc, etc. Who would have the guts to do that!!??!!

Totally and utterly agree with everything you say. The Government are an absolute disgrace.

Every time I check on Stock Exchange RNSs and see Vectura Group shares up 6.5% my heart does a little flutter!!!!! Hey ho!!

Perhaps I should post this more often!!!!!!!

Well this does not want to move at all today, does it!!??

Right on baby, the previous one should have been a tick!! Or as some people would say ' should OF been a tick ' !!!!!!

??

FFS get the spelling right!!!

How many of the 10000 do you think then??

And another thing!!!! Another 260 migrants on a dozen boats into the UK yesterday - 10000 year to date. Whilst I do have sympathy for those living in unspeakable horrors, why are they coming here from France, where they are already safe. Where are they going to live long term, what schools, hospitals, doctors surgeries, opticians, dentists and the like are they going to use ( which are already full to bursting )? Mostly, they are young males who probably will not get legitimate jobs so either will work on the Black Market or fund their lifestyle by criminal means. Who loses out AGAIN and AGAIN!!!?? US. Not those f---ing politicians who live in their big houses and have big wages , pensions and all the perks. Absolute Corruption through and through. Priti Patel - all talk!!. Rant over, just thoroughly pi--ed off!!

I'm absolutely f---ing seething - crooks, the lot of them!! One rule for them and one for the rest of us. They should all be thoroughly investigated and the book thrown at them. Make an example of the lot of them!!

Yes

Just switched on, missed him, he's a star!!

You couldn't make it up!!!!!

Freedom of Information Team Department of Health and Social Care www.gov.uk/dhsc 39 Victoria Street London SW1H 0EU 4 August 2021 Dear Mr -----Freedom of Information Request Reference FOI-1346405 Thank you for your request dated 14 July, in which you asked the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC): “I would like to be informed about how many people have received negative results for Covid 19 infection using the Innova Lateral Flow Device only to have been told that they are positive when the sample is subsequently analysed by PCR. What proportion is this of total tests carried out using both methods?” Your request has been handled under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). DHSC does not hold information relevant to your request. The Department does not hold any records of the same sample being used for both the Lateral Flow Device (LFD) and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test kits. Individuals sometimes may take an LFD and PCR test on the same day (same person, different samples). This happens particularly among care home staff, and also at surge testing sites. For surge testing there is some data already available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lateral-flow-device-performance-data. Specifically the information is in Figure 4 on Page 11 here (columns labelled 'False Negative' and 'True Positive'): 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 Please note that this is not all the instances of same-day LFT and PCR tests; however, it is a sample from surge testing sites in April and May 2021. If you are not satisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to appeal by asking for an internal review. This should be submitted within two months of the date of this letter and sent to FreedomOfInformation@dhsc.gov.uk, or to the address at the top of this letter. Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communication.