Freedom of Information request on identifying the SARS-Cov-2 virus
Published 28 May 2021
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/freedom-of-information-responses-from-the-mhra-week-commencing-26-april-2021/freedom-of-information-request-on-identifying-the-sars-cov-2-virus
28th April 2021 FOI 21/460
Dear
Thank you for your follow-up email of 29 March 2021 asking for “peer reviewed documents” on identifying the SARS-Cov-2 virus.
I am sorry our previous reply did not make it clear that the MHRA does not hold this information. However, using the phrase ‘identifying sars-cov-2 virus’ in an internet search engine, will provide links to peer reviewed scientific papers.
The link we provided in our original reply is a meta-analysis, which looks at the findings of many peer reviewed papers. Please see Diagnostic Performance of CT and Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction for Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Meta-Analysis - PubMed (nih.gov)
If you disagree with how we have interpreted the Freedom of Information Act 2000 with regards to your request, you can ask for an internal review. It will be carried out by a senior member of the Agency who was not involved with the original decision. Internal review requests should be submitted within two months of the date you receive this response and addressed to: info@mhra.gov.uk.
If you were to remain dissatisfied with the outcome of the internal review, you would have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Please bear in mind that the Information Commissioner will not normally review our handling of your request unless you have first contacted us to conduct an internal review. The Information Commissioner can be contacted online: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/official-information-concerns-report/official-information-concern/
Yours sincerely
MHRA Customer Service Centre
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London E14