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Written question asked by Lord Campbell-Savours (Labour) on Thursday, 17 December 2020, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 5 January 2021. It was answered by Lord Bethell (Conservative) on Friday, 22 January 2021 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Question

Her Majesty's Government whether they have had any discussions with the World Health Organization (WHO) about when the governments of (1) Italy, and (2) France, first reported the emergence of COVID-19 to WHO; if so, when in (a) 2019, and (b) 2020, any such emergence was reported by those countries; what assessment they have made of reports of COVID-19 appearing in waste water in Barcelona in 2019; and when they became aware of any such reports.

Answer

The United Kingdom has not had any specific discussions with the World Health Organization on the emergence of COVID-19 in France and Italy. The UK Government received notification of France and Italy’s first COVID-19 cases through the European Early Warning and Response System. France reported its first three COVID-19 cases on 24 January 2020. Italy reported its first two COVID-19 cases on 31 January 2020.


The Government has not made any assessment of reports of COVID-19 appearing in wastewater in Barcelona in 2019. In the UK, a national wastewater surveillance programme was announced on 12 June 2020 by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Scottish and Welsh devolved administrations, focusing on sewage monitoring as part of an advance warning system to detect new outbreaks of COVID-19.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL11575
Session
2019-21
Subjects
Disease control Water Waste World Health Organization Coronavirus
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk