Written Question
Thursday 3rd June 2021
Asked by:
Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question
to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish the latest evidence base which has led to the B1.351 COVID-19 variant being categorised as a variant of concern, particularly in regard to its transmissibility.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The B.1.351 COVID-19 variant was categorised as a variant of concern (VOC) on 23 December 2020 by the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group. The decision to raise this lineage to a VOC was taken on the basis of reports indicating that the strain had replaced pre-existing strains in parts of South Africa and that there were two cases of B.1.351 identified in the United Kingdom with links to travel from South Africa. The genetic variations identified in the spike protein of B.1.351 were also cause for concern.
The three substitutions in the receptor binding domain, and in particular the E484K substitution, were thought to result in weaker neutralisation by some monoclonal antibodies and polyclonal neutralising sera. Although at the time there was no formal modelling from South Africa, the rapid spread of the variant could be consistent with increased transmissibility, which was also biologically plausible. More recent data has shown that B.1.351 has greater transmissibility than the original Wuhan strains of the virus. Evaluation was at an early stage when the recommendation to escalate this lineage was taken. A copy of PHE Risk assessment for SARS-CoV-2 variant: VOC-202012/02 (origin: South Africa) of 23 December is attached.
Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 25 Mar 2021
Covid-19: One Year Report
"My Lords, I declare my interest as a director of H&O Communications. I remember thinking, immediately before speaking on the debate on the Coronavirus Bill last year, that for the first time since the end of the coalition in 2015 I was heartily glad that I was not in government …..."Lord Oates - View Speech
View all Lord Oates (LD - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Covid-19: One Year Report
Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 11 Feb 2021
Covid-19
"The Minister told the House in his earlier response to the Front Benches that there was no point in securing our borders before the new variants emerged. Was that not exactly when we should have closed the borders in order to prevent the new variants arriving in our country, rather …..."Lord Oates - View Speech
View all Lord Oates (LD - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Covid-19
Written Question
Monday 30th November 2020
Asked by:
Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question
to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bethell on 7 September (HL5229), whether at any point since 31 January a COVID-19 test comprising of a swab of the back of the throat and the nose (1) taken at the same time, (2) at the same testing venue, and (3) from the same person, was counted as (a) one test, or (b) two tests.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The 'people tested' measure for United Kingdom statistics was initially used to avoid counting one person tested several times in a short space of time. Many people are now retested multiple times for valid reasons, such as regular testing of health and care workers over several months. This means that the 'tests processed figure', which we have published from 4 July, is a better headline to measure the scale of the testing service.
Our priority is to make sure that we are sharing data in the most clear and transparent way. We are working closely with the country’s statisticians including the UK Statistics Authority and the Office of National Statistics to make sure that we provide the most relevant data that helps the public understand how the service is operating.
Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 12 Oct 2020
Health Protection (Coronavirus, Wearing of Face Coverings in a Relevant Place and on Public Transport) (England) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2020
"My Lords, at the outset of the pandemic in Europe, medics from south-east Asia, who had the most experience of the virus and consequently the best understanding of it, made it crystal clear that the wearing of face masks, while no panacea, was one of a number of important measures …..."Lord Oates - View Speech
View all Lord Oates (LD - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Health Protection (Coronavirus, Wearing of Face Coverings in a Relevant Place and on Public Transport) (England) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2020
Written Question
Monday 7th September 2020
Asked by:
Lord Oates (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question
to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a COVID-19 test comprising of a swab of the back of the throat and the nose, (1) taken at the same time, (2) at the same testing venue, and (3) from the same person, is counted as (a) one test, or (b) two tests. [T]
Answered by Lord Bethell
For the purposes of diagnosing COVID-19, we are using Polymerase Chain Reaction tests that involve a nasopharyngeal swab sample taken from the back of the nose and throat, searching for virus DNA in the sample.
Tests that do not reach far enough back or swab just the nose or throat alone are likely to be less effective as there is a lower likelihood of collecting the virus in the sample material. For this reason, we recommend both clinician-administered and self-administered tests available for home testing swab both the nose and throat. This will count as a single test.
Speech in Lords Chamber - Fri 24 Jul 2020
Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (No. 2) (England) Regulations 2020
"My Lords, I have four questions for the Minister.
First, why were face coverings not mandated at the same time as the relaxation of these rules or the earlier decision to allow non-essential retail to open? Indeed, why were they not mandated from the outset when the medical advice from …..."Lord Oates - View Speech
View all Lord Oates (LD - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (No. 2) (England) Regulations 2020
Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 18 May 2020
Draft Human Tissue (Permitted Material: Exceptions) (England) Regulations 2020
"My Lords, I declare my interest: until recently, I was a non-executive director of NHS Blood and Transplant.
I welcomed the Government’s decision to support the deemed consent Act in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Hunt, and remain fully supportive of the move to deemed consent. Every year, …..."Lord Oates - View Speech
View all Lord Oates (LD - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Draft Human Tissue (Permitted Material: Exceptions) (England) Regulations 2020
Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 22 Apr 2020
Covid-19: Extent of Infection
"My Lords, we all understand the immense pressure that the Minister’s department is under, but does he agree that it is unacceptable that capacity is still only at 38,000 tests a day and that much of that very limited capacity is not being used, not least because the testing centres …..."Lord Oates - View Speech
View all Lord Oates (LD - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Covid-19: Extent of Infection
Speech in Lords Chamber - Tue 24 Mar 2020
Coronavirus Bill
"As many noble Lords have noted, this Bill contains unprecedented powers, but we recognise that it comes before us in unprecedented times. Its purpose is to protect the lives of the public and to provide the National Health Service with the best chance of minimising the death toll from this …..."Lord Oates - View Speech
View all Lord Oates (LD - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Coronavirus Bill