PCR testing volumes (FOI)

​Request

Could I please request the following information.

A

The average number of persons PCR tested a week during lockdown.

B

The average number of persons PCR tested a week since restrictions have been lifted.

C

The demographic of the people that have tested positive for COVID-19 on figures released 8 November 2011. How many are: double vaccinated, single vaccinated, not vaccinated and children under vaccination age?

Response

A and B

Please see attached breakdown of weekly PCR tests over the whole pandemic. 

Weekly PCR tests

Various COVID-19 mitigation policies have been put in place and lifted again over time, so for completeness we have provided the weekly figures of PCR testing throughout the pandemic, to allow any time period within that to be considered.

For reference, the number of weekly PCR tests over the last 12 months is available in the Weekly Epidemiology Report on www.gov.je

Weekly Epidemiological Report 16 December 2021

Daily data can be found on the opendata.gov.je website at the following link:

Coronavirus (COVID-19): number of cases in Jersey

C

Information on vaccination status, as requested, is not held in recorded form. To answer the request, the data would need to be extracted from various sources and manipulated, aside from taking more than the prescribed 12.5 hours to do that work, the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 does not require a Scheduled Public Authority to manipulate data in order to provide a response. Article 16 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has therefore been applied. However, a publication of positive cases by vaccine status is currently being drafted and is due for publication within the next 12 weeks. Article 36 (future publication) has also been applied.

Articles applied

Article 16 - A scheduled public authority may refuse to supply information if cost excessive

(1) A scheduled public authority that has been requested to supply information may refuse to supply the information if it estimates that the cost of doing so would exceed an amount determined in the manner prescribed by Regulations.

Article 36 - Information intended for future publication

(1) Information is qualified exempt information if, at the time when the request for the information is made, the information is being held by a public authority with a view to its being published within 12 weeks of the date of the request.

(2) A scheduled public authority that refuses an application for information on this ground must make reasonable efforts to inform the applicant –

(a) of the date when the information will be published;

(b) of the manner in which it will be published; and

(c) by whom it will be published.