Kia ora

 

Thank you for taking the time to write to Hon Chris Hipkins, Minister for
COVID-19 Response, Minister of Education, Minister for the Public Sector
and Leader of the House.

We are receiving a significant amount of correspondence at the moment and,
although your email will be carefully considered and noted, it is not
possible to respond to each individual email. However, please note that
this is an automatic response and we will endeavour to respond to your
individual queries as soon as we can.

You can find the latest information and guidance about Alert Levels at
[1]https://covid19.govt.nz/alert-levels-and...
The locations of interest are set out
at [2]https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/dise...
encourage anyone who has been at one of the locations of interest at the
time specified to self-isolate and call Healthline on 0800 358 5453. You
can find the nearest testing centre to you
at [3]https://www.healthpoint.co.nz/covid-19/.

We appreciate that this is a challenging time. If you need to talk, you
can call or text 1737 at any time. Mental health and wellbeing resources
are also available
at [4]https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/dise...
about the financial support available to individuals and businesses can be
found at [5]https://covid19.govt.nz/business-and-mon....

We also understand that there are several other aspects to the response
that are very important to people. You can find more information about:

o Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ)
at [6]https://www.miq.govt.nz/, including how to request an emergency
allocation
at [7]https://www.miq.govt.nz/travel-to-new-ze...
make a complaint or request a review of your application by
emailing [8]https://www.miq.govt.nz/about/contact-us....
o Travel with Australia
at [9]https://covid19.govt.nz/travel/quarantin...
you are in Australia, please register
at [10]https://www.safetravel.govt.nz/ and if it is an emergency,
contact the Consulate on +64 99 20 20 20.
o Vaccines at [11]https://covid19.govt.nz/covid-19-vaccines/, including
how to book your vaccine
at [12]https://bookmyvaccine.covid19.health.nz/... by calling 0800 28
29 26.
o Vaccine data and statistics
at [13]https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/dise...
Medsafe’s vaccine safety monitoring reports
at [14]https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/COVID-19/vac...
o The Government’s plan to reconnect New Zealand with the rest of the
world
at [16]https://covid19.govt.nz/reconnecting-new....

Please remember to take care, and be kind. We have beaten COVID-19 before,
and we can do it again.

Ngā mihi,

Office of Hon Chris Hipkins

Minister for COVID-19 Response | Minister of Education | Minister for the
Public Sector | Leader of the House | MP for Remutaka

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Kia ora Debra

On behalf of Hon Chris Hipkins, Minister for COVID-19 Response, thank you
for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act). You
have requested:

 

“Please could you provide copies of all information held by you or on your
behalf (eg by Min Health or any advisor) about the PCR test for Covid
including:
A) it's efficacy, veracity and reliability;
B) the genetic sequence that the covid PCR test identifies and the source
of this material
C) the sequenced genetic code for SARs-Cov2 / the causative agent of
covid-19 - including any variations for different strains
D) the sequenced genetic code for influenza virus
E) the sequence of mRNA used in the Pfizer and any other mRNA Vax that are
being considered for use in NZ
F) Any analysis of the reliability or otherwise of PCR testing for Covid
19
G) Any analysis of whether the PCR test will or may give a positive result
for those exposed to any of the proposed Covid vaccinations
H) assessment of any other criteria used or considered for assessing
reliability of PCR Covid testing for identifying Covid 19 and/ or
distinguishing it from other infectious agents or artificially created
substances including assessment against established medical protocols such
as Koch's postulates
I) Any other information to show how reliably the PCR test protocol used
in NZ identifies the disease known as Covid 19 and any factors which may
affect reliability.”

This information appears to be more closely associated with the functions
and responsibilities of the Ministry of Health. Accordingly, I am
transferring your request to the Ministry under section 14(b)(ii) of the
Act. You can expect a response from the Ministry of Health in due course.

You have the right, under section 28 of the Act, to ask the Ombudsman to
review this decision to transfer your request for information. The
Ombudsman can be contacted by email at: [1][email address] or
by calling 0800 802 602.

 

Ngâ mihi

 

 

[2]cid:image001.jpg@01D433B3.8E157340 Tiffany
Vail |
Private
Secretary,
Health

Office of
Hon Chris
Hipkins   

Minister
for
COVID-19
Response

 

 

show quoted sections

Kia ora Debra,

 

Thank you for your request for official information which was transferred
from the Office of Hon Chris Hipkins and received by the Ministry of
Health on 3 November 2021. The Ministry’s reference number for your
request is H202115466.

 

If you need to contact us at any stage about your request, please quote
this reference number in your correspondence. You requested:

 

“Please could you provide copies of all information held by you or on your
behalf (eg by Min Health or any advisor) about the PCR test for Covid
including:

A) it's efficacy, veracity and reliability;
B) the genetic sequence that the covid PCR test identifies and the source
of this material
C) the sequenced genetic code for SARs-Cov2 / the causative agent of
covid-19 - including any variations for different strains
D) the sequenced genetic code for influenza virus
E) the sequence of mRNA used in the Pfizer and any other mRNA Vax that are
being considered for use in NZ
F) Any analysis of the reliability or otherwise of PCR testing for Covid
19
G) Any analysis of whether the PCR test will or may give a positive result
for those exposed to any of the proposed Covid vaccinations
H) assessment of any other criteria used or considered for assessing
reliability of PCR Covid testing for identifying Covid 19 and/ or
distinguishing it from other infectious agents or artificially created
substances including assessment against established medical protocols such
as Koch's postulates
I) Any other information to show how reliably the PCR test protocol used
in NZ identifies the disease known as Covid 19 and any factors which may
affect reliability.

Given the pertinence and obvious relevance on the PCR test in the current
covid environment with Auckland being in lockdown for over 11 weeks and
the recent mandating of tests for employees together with the lack of
access to alternative testing options could you please provide this
information urgently.”

 

Your request has been logged and you can expect a reply no later than 1
December 2021 as required under the Official Information Act 1982.

 

Due to the COVID-19 global pandemic response, the Ministry is experiencing
significantly higher volumes of queries and requests for information. If
we are unable to respond to your request within this time frame, we will
notify you of an extension of that time frame.

 

If you have any queries related to this request, please do not hesitate to
get in touch.

 

 

Ngâ mihi

 

OIA Services

Government Services

Office of the Director-General

Ministry of Health

E: [1][email address]

 

 

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References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]

Tēnā koe Debra 

 

Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
Act), transferred to the Ministry of Health (the Ministry) on 3 November
2021, for information about PCR testing. I will respond to each part of
your request in turn. 

 it's efficacy, veracity and reliability; H) assessment of any other
criteria used or considered for assessing reliability of PCR Covid testing
for identifying Covid 19 and/ or distinguishing it from other infectious
agents or artificially created substances including assessment against
established medical protocols such as Koch's postulates 

 Information regarding PCR testing and its efficacy can be found at the
following links:  

o [1]www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-health-advice-public/assessment-and-testing-covid-19/how-covid-19-testing-works  
o [2]www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-health-advice-public/assessment-and-testing-covid-19/covid-19-test-results-and-their-accuracy  
o [3]www.esr.cri.nz/our-services/testing/novel-coronavirus/  
o [4]www.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=covid+19+laboratory+diagnosis 
o [5]www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/lab/multiplex.html 
o [6]www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/lab/testing.html  

 

B.     the genetic sequence that the covid PCR test identifies and the
source of this material 

C.     the sequenced genetic code for SARs-Cov2 / the causative agent of
covid-19 - including any variations for different strains 

 

The PCR test identifies the SARS-COV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19. You
may be interested in the following response previously published on the
Ministry’s website:
[7]www.health.govt.nz/system/files/documents/information-release/h202100116_2_feb_2021_covid_virus_isolation.pdf
 

 

You can find both the complete nucleotide sequence as well as the protein
sequences at:  

[8]www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/NC_045512. This is the record from the
original deposition of the genome of the virus, annotated with the
functional genes encoded in its genome. 

 

The variants of COVID-19 (including the delta variant) are determined by
Whole Genome Sequencing. Detailed information on genome sequencing can be
found on the genome sequencing Q&A on ESR's website at:
[9]www.esr.cri.nz/our-expertise/covid-19-response/new-news-page/. An
internationally curated and open database of sequences obtained from cases
infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus is available at: 

[10]www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sars-cov-2/. 

 

The Ministry and other agencies frequently update information about
COVID-19 and encourage people to access information online to ensure they
have the latest available information. 

 

You may also be interested in: 

o [11]www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-health-advice-public/about-covid-19/covid-19-about-delta-variant
 
o [12]www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-resources-and-tools/covid-19-science-news 

 

D.    the sequenced genetic code for influenza virus 

 

This information is not held by the Ministry. You may wish to direct your
request to ESR. You can contact them at:
[13]www.esr.cri.nz/home/contact-form/.  

  

E) the sequence of mRNA used in the Pfizer and any other mRNA Vax that are
being considered for use in NZ 

 

Please find the RNA sequence of BNT162b2 used in the Comirnaty vaccine
attached as Appendix 1. This excerpt has been provided under section
16(1)(e) of the Act. 

 

F) Any analysis of the reliability or otherwise of PCR testing for Covid
19 

 

All laboratories who perform COVID-19 testing in NZ are IANZ accredited
which means they are required to perform local validation of the assays
including specificity testing before employing the test. PCR is highly
specific by nature of its primer and probe designs which bind specifically
to genomic areas which are unique to SARS-CoV-2. 

 

More information can be found here:
[14]https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/dise...

 

G) Any analysis of whether the PCR test will or may give a positive result
for those exposed to any of the proposed Covid vaccinations 

 

A person will not test positive for COVID-19 by means of PCR test or rapid
antigen test from the vaccination itself. However, breakthrough infectious
can occur in a vaccinated person which may or may not be symptomatic.
Breakthrough infectious are PCR test positive and if the person has enough
virus present, which is not always the case, then it would also be
positive on rapid antigen testing regardless of whether symptoms are
present or not. 

 

Under section 28(3) of the Act, you have the right to ask the Ombudsman to
review any decisions made under this request. The Ombudsman may be
contacted by email at: [15][email address] or by calling 0800
802 602. 

 

 

Nāku noa, nā 

 

 
Jan Torres  

Acting Manager 

OIA Services Team 

[16]Ministry of Health information releases 

[17]Unite against COVID-19 

 

 

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References

Visible links
1. http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/disea...
2. http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/disea...
3. http://www.esr.cri.nz/our-services/testi...
4. http://www.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term...
5. http://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov...
6. http://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov...
7. http://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/d...
8. https://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&...
9. http://www.esr.cri.nz/our-expertise/covi...
10. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sars-cov-2/
11. http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/disea...
12. https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/dise...
13. http://www.esr.cri.nz/home/contact-form/
14. https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/dise...
15. mailto:[email address]
16. https://www.health.govt.nz/about-ministr...
17. https://covid19.govt.nz/