FOI Ref: FOI/2022/3735
You asked
Please supply the following information:
1) Number of paediatric COVID-19 deaths from the time that Omicron became the prevalent strain, divided into age groups (12-17, 5-11, 0-4).
2) Has there been an increase in MIS-C (PIMS) cases since Omicron has been the dominant variant and what the number has been that could be attributed to Omicron by the timeline?
3) Total MIS-C deaths with no other cause.
We said
Thank you for your enquiry.
COVID-19 deaths involving the Omicron variant
ONS mortality data is taken from information collated at the point of death registration. The ICD-10 code for COVID-19 deaths is U07.1 for COVID-19 and U07.2 for suspected COVID-19. There is no difference in the ICD-10 code used to differentiate between specific COVID-19 variants, to obtain this information requires complex data linkage of ONS mortality data to NHS Test and Trace therefore we consider this information not held.
We are currently investigating data linkage to produce a study looking at COVID-19 deaths in both the Omicron and Delta variants. At this moment we only hold a subsample and are currently working on comparing the risk of mortality between Omicron and Delta. We currently do not have a publication date, but this will be announced on our Release Calendar in due course.
As such, the information you have requested about COVID-19 deaths by variant 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. Furthermore, as a central government department and producer of official statistics, we need to have the freedom to be able to determine our own publication timetables. This is to allow us to deal with the necessary preparation, administration and context of publications.
This exemption is subject to a public interest test. We recognise the desirability of information being freely available and this is considered by ONS when publication schedules are set in accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics. The need for timely data must be balanced against the practicalities of applying statistical skill and judgement to produce the high quality, assured data needed to inform decision-making. If this balance is incorrectly applied, then we run the risk of decisions being based on inaccurate data which is arguably not in the public interest. This will have an impact on public trust in official statistics in a time when accuracy of official statistics is more important to the public than ever before.
We do publish deaths by single year of age monthly which you may find useful, however this does not include information on variants: Single year of age and average age of death of people whose death was due to or involved COVID-19 - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk).
MIS_C cases
We do not hold information on MIS-C cases. NHS Digital may be better placed to answer your enquiry. They can be contacted via email at enquiries@nhsdigital.nhs.uk.
MIS-C deaths with no other cause
We publish deaths involving multisystem inflammatory syndrome associated with COVID-19, unspecified using ICD-10 code U10.9 in table 12 of the Monthly mortality analysis, England and Wales.
From March 2020 to December 2021, which is the latest published data there is 1 registered death in which MIS-C was described as the underlying cause.
Due to the small numbers, we are unable to provide any further disaggregation of this data as it is considered personal information. Section 39 of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 (SRSA) renders it an offence to disclose information held by the Statistics Board for statistical purposes that would identify an individual or a body corporate. As we are prohibited by law from publishing statistics in which individuals can be identified, we find that Section 44 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) applies. Section 44 is an absolute exemption and no consideration of the public interest test needs to be applied.