These are copies of all submissions to Minister Simon Harris relating to the outbreak of Covid-19, first in China and later in Ireland.
They have been obtained under FOI by Right to Know following an internal review to the Department of Health.
They cover a two-month time period from the very first submission relating to a “cluster of pneumonia cases” in Wuhan from January to emergency shipments of personal protective equipment in March.
The records provide a clear picture of the spread of the disease, from a “low likelihood” of spread to getting ready for the surge.
They also give new detail on PPE shipments from China and how the HSE could not go through “their normal due diligence processes”.
Details surrounding the decision to postpone establishment of the Cervical Check tribunal are also published here for the first time.