Kia ora,

 

Thank you for your Official Information Act (the Act) request. This is
an automatic reply to let you know we received it.

 

Due to the COVID-19 global pandemic response, the Ministry is experiencing
significantly higher volumes of queries and requests for information. We
will endeavour to acknowledge your request as soon as possible. Further
information about COVID-19 can be found on our
website: [1]https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/dise...

 

Please be advised that due dates for requests received from 29 November
2021 onwards take into account the following periods:

 

Christmas (25 December 2021)

Summer Holidays (25 December to 15 January)

New Year's Day (1 January 2022)

Day after News Year's Day (2 January 2022)

 

If you'd like to calculate the due date for your request, you can use the
Ombudsman's online calculator here: [2]http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/

If you have any questions while we're processing your request, please let
us know via [3][email address]

 

Ngā mihi  

OIA Services Team  

   

[4]Ministry of Health information releases  

[5]Unite against COVID-19 

 

 

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References

Visible links
1. https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/dise...
2. http://scanmail.trustwave.com/?c=15517&a...
3. mailto:[email address]
4. https://www.health.govt.nz/about-ministr...
5. https://covid19.govt.nz/

Kia ora Ms Thorn,

 

Thank you for your request for official information. The Ministry's
reference number for your request is: H202117562.

 

Please be advised that due dates for requests received from 29 November
2021 onwards take into account the following periods:

 

Christmas (25 December 2021)

Summer Holidays (25 December to 15 January)

New Year's Day (1 January 2022)

Day after News Year's Day (2 January 2022)

 

Your request has been logged and you can expect a reply no later than 28
January 2022 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.

 

Ngā mihi

 

OIA Services

Government Services

Office of the Director-General

Ministry of Health

E: [1][email address]

 

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Tēnā koe Ms Thorn 

  

Thank you for your request under the Official Information Act 1982 (the
Act) to the Ministry of Health (the Ministry) on 12 December 2021 for
information regarding COVID-19. I will respond to each part of your
request in turn. 

  

1. Would you please provide any and all documentation (excluding
identifiable patient notes) pertaining to ANY unvaccinated natural human
being who falls within the criteria specified below? 

  

Documents reflecting any documented case of an individual who;  

        a)  Has NOT ever received a Covid19 vaccine and  

        b)  Is asymptomatic and 

        c)  Transmitted Sars-CoV-2 to another natural human being. 

  

The Ministry does not hold this level of detail on COVID-19 cases. While
the Act enables people to request official information from the Ministry,
it only applies to information it holds. There is no obligation to create
information or compile information it does not hold in order to respond to
requests, nor is the Ministry obliged to provide or prove an opinion.
Providing you with this information would involve pulling information from
multiple sources in an attempt to identify whether there is any individual
that matches the description you have provided. Your request for this
information is therefore refused under section 18(g) of the Act. 

  

Please note that it is possible for people who have COVID-19 but do not
show any symptoms to transmit the virus to others. However, it is still
not clear how frequently this occurs, and more research is needed in this
area. Information regarding transmission of COVID-19, including
transmission by asymptomatic cases, is available at: 

 

•                  [1]www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-health-advice-public/about-covid-19/covid-19-what-we-know-about-infection-and-immunity. 

•                  [2]www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/coronavirus-disease-covid-19-how-is-it-transmitted. 

  

You may also be interested in the following resources regarding COVID-19
vaccination:   

•                   [3]www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-vaccines/covid-19-vaccine-effectiveness-and-protection. 

•                   [4]https://covid.immune.org.nz/covid-19-vac...

  

2. Please provide any and all international studies, documentation,
meeting notes, and emails held that support the common assertion regarding
the transmissibility threat of COVID19 Sars-CoV-2 (including its variants)
of an asymptomatic unvaccinated natural human being, including any
discussions of that evidence or requests to verify that evidence made by
The Ministry of Health or any other govt department proving an
asymptomatic unvaccinated natural human being posses a threat of
Sars-CoV-2 infection to any other natural human being. 

  

Please note that the Ministry of Health does not conduct studies or
research. Scientific studies regarding asymptomatic transmission can be
found at: [5]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/. For example, the following
paper discusses transmission of the virus by asymptomatic COVID-19 cases:
[6]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32425996...

  

3. Please provide any and all international studies, documentation,
meeting notes, and emails held by the Ministry of Health or any other govt
department that support the assertion that a natural human being who is
NOT inoculated against COVID-19 who is asymptomatic, posses a threat of
infection to any other natural human being who IS inoculated against
COVID-19.  

  

As with any vaccine, the Pfizer vaccine (Comirnaty) may not fully protect
everyone who gets it. This means that a person who is vaccinated against
COVID-19 may still become infected by an unvaccinated, asymptomatic person
with COVID-19. However, the vaccine is highly effective if people have
both doses. That means, if a vaccinated person does catch COVID-19, they
are far less likely to fall seriously ill and less likely to transmit the
virus to others. Please refer to the links provided above for further
information about transmission by asymptomatic cases. 

  

4. Please provide any and all information, including hidden or secret
information, and any documentation, meeting notes, and emails held by The
Ministry of Health or any other government department discussing or
considering Pfizers reputation, past legal actions, conflicts of interest
or fines paid for illegal behaviour before or when considering the Pfizer
vaccine safety for New Zealand citizens.  

  

This part of your request is refused under section 18(e) of the Act as the
information requested does not exist. 

  

5. Please provide any and all documentation, studies used or relied on,
meeting notes, discussions and emails held that support the common belief
that the Covid19 vaccine used in New Zealand does not transmit infection
of Covid19, Sars-CoV-2 or any of its variants. 

  

The COVID-19 vaccine cannot give you COVID-19. mRNA vaccines do not
contain any of the virus that causes COVID-19, or any other live, dead or
deactivated viruses.  

  

You may be interested in the information regarding the safety and
effectiveness of the vaccine at the following links:  

o The Immunisation Handbook (chapter 5):
[7]www.health.govt.nz/our-work/immunisation-handbook-2020/5-coronavirus-disease-covid-19.
This also provides references to scientific studies conducted
regarding COVID-19 and the vaccine.  
o The vaccine datasheet:
[8]www.medsafe.govt.nz/profs/Datasheet/c/comirnatyinj.pdf. 
o Ministry webpage regarding vaccine safety and efficacy:
[9]www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-vaccines/covid-19-vaccine-effectiveness-and-protection. 

  

More data is required to understand the extent of the effect that
vaccination has on transmission of the Delta and Omicron variants. Current
evidence indicates that fully vaccinated persons are less likely than
unvaccinated persons to acquire the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, and
infections with the Delta variant in fully vaccinated persons are
associated with less severe clinical outcomes. A summary of available data
can be found on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
science brief page:  

[10]www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/science-briefs/fully-vaccinated-people.html. 

  

You may also be interested in the updates on COVID-19 variants published
by the Ministry at:
[11]www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-resources-and-tools/covid-19-science-news#updates. 

  

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: [12][email address] or by calling 0800
802 602. 

  

Nāku noa, nā 

 

OIA Services 

Government Services 

Office of the Director-General 

Ministry of Health 

E: [13][email address] 

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References

Visible links
1. http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/disea...
2. http://www.who.int/news-room/questions-a...
3. http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/disea...
4. https://covid.immune.org.nz/covid-19-vac...
5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32425996/
7. http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/immun...
8. http://www.medsafe.govt.nz/profs/Datashe...
9. http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/disea...
10. http://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov...
11. http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/disea...
12. mailto:[email address]
13. mailto:[email address]