FOI/2021/2720
You asked
Please supply the daily death rate and birth rate since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
We said
Thank you for your enquiry.
We do not hold analysis showing death rates calculated at a daily rate. However, we do have daily COVID-19 death registration figures published in the following weekly deaths dataset. Please see the ''COVID-19 - weekly registrations' table. These figures are based on daily deaths where COVID-19 was registered either as the underlying cause or as a secondary cause that contributed to the death.
The latest published data we hold on births is held within table 18 of the following publication of our annual births characteristics dataset, with daily birth figures available up to 2019. We are currently working on finalising the annual release for 2020 which is provisionally scheduled for release in September 2021.
The information you have requested for births is considered exempt under Section 22(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, whereby information is exempt from release if there is a view to publish the information in the future. This exemption is subject to a public interest test. While we recognise the desirability of information being freely available, we also acknowledge that public authorities must have the freedom to be able to determine their own publication timetables. This allows them to deal with the necessary preparation, administration, and context of publication. Furthermore, public interest is best served through the public having confidence that the information published by ONS is accurate and final. Release on an ad-hoc basis would not achieve this aim and will cause unnecessary confusion if they were to be misrepresented. In this case, exempting the information clearly outweighs the public interest in disclosure.
If you would like to discuss your request further, please contact health.data@ons.gov.uk.