Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will set a date on which he will stop the operation of NHS Test and Trace.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The NHS Test and Trace service remains critical to the Government’s plan for managing the virus. Decisions on the continuation of the service will be made in due course.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps a British national who received the covid-19 vaccination overseas must undertake to add their inoculation records to the NHS App.
Answered by Maggie Throup
Since 30 September, a pilot has been in place for overseas vaccinations to be recorded on the National Immunisation Management System (NIMS) and the NHS COVID Pass. The Vaccine Data Resolution Service contacts patients with overseas vaccinations in their health records to attend a regional centre to present evidence of their vaccination and to receive any additional doses required.
The pilot initially involved three vaccination sites in England with more open since 11 October. By the end of October, there will be one site in every region in England offering this service. Currently any Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Janssen or Moderna vaccinations administered by the European Medicines Agency, the Food and Drug Administration or Swissmedic can be recorded on the NHS COVID Pass.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has ordered doses of the covid-19 monoclonal antibody treatment Sotrovimab produced by GSK.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The Government has entered into an agreement with GlaxoSmithKline for the procurement of 100,008 doses of sotrovimab.
This procurement is subject to independent approval of sotrovimab by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency who will assess the medicine for safety and efficacy for treatment of COVID-19.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has (a) funded or (b) has plans to fund the development of the antiviral treatment for covid-19 Pfizer’s PF-07321332/Ritonavir.
Answered by Maggie Throup
We have monitored company trials and development of a number of antivirals including Pfizer’s PF-07321332/Ritonavir but are not funding development. We are in contact with a number of manufacturers to ensure that United Kingdom patients have access to COVID-19 antivirals as evidence emerges.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is (a) funding or (b) plans to fund the development of emerging covid-19 antibody therapy drugs (i) Ronapreve, (ii) Sotrovimab and (iii) AstraZeneca’s AZD7442.
Answered by Maggie Throup
We are monitoring clinical trials and development of monoclonal antibodies including Ronapreve, Sotrovimab and AZD7442.
Ronapreve was part of the Government supported RECOVERY trial and in August the Medicines and althcare products Regulatory Agency approved Ronapreve as the first neutralising monoclonal antibody combination product for use in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom. While we have not funded the development of Sotrovimab or AZD7442, company-funded trials for AZD7442 were prioritised by the National Institute for Health Research as urgent public health COVID-19 studies.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his timetable is commencement of the national flu immunisation programme for 2021 to 2022.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The national flu immunisation programme commenced on 1 September 2021.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the two-monthly report on the status of the provisions of the Coronavirus Act 2020 published on 21 July 2021, what recent assessment he has made of the merits and demerits of maintaining powers under (a) section 52 and (b) Schedule 22 of that Act.
Answered by Jo Churchill
The Government intends to expire section 52 and Schedule 22 of the Coronavirus Act 2020 as it pertains to England.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a breakdown of the cost of £2285 for Government-approved covid-19 quarantine hotels.
Answered by Jo Churchill
The notional costing from 12 August based on the charge of £2,285 is comprised of: room and board £1,217; security £651; testing £96; liaison £69; airport costs £92; welfare costs £51; transport £38; administration £49; and ‘other’ and contingency £22.