Number of deaths sole Covid-19 cause between March 2020 and January 2022

​FOI Reference: FOI/2022/3511

You asked

Please advise the number of deaths caused directly by Covid-19, where Covid-19 was the only cause, between March 2020 and January 2022?

We said

​Thank you for your request.

Numbers of deaths where COVID-19 was recorded as the sole condition on the death certificate for Q1 (Jan to Mar) 2020 to Q4 (Oct to Dec) 2021 is available in the Pre-existing conditions of people who died due to COVID-19, England and Wales dataset, which is published as part of our Monthly mortality analysis release.

The next update will include data for Q1 (Jan to Mar) 2022 and will be published in the monthly mortality analysis release on 27^th April 2022. As such, the information you have requested for January 2022 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. It would be unreasonable to consider disclosure when to do so would undermine our functions.

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.

If you wish to discuss this further, please contact health.data@on.gov.uk.