FOI Ref: FOI/2021/3350
You asked
Please update the following report "Deaths involving COVID-19 by vaccination status" to include:
a. 10 year age bands for 0-59 age range
b. Add categories
i. "Within 21 days of second dose" (split current "2nd dose" data set
ii. "Within 21 days of third dose"
iii. "3rd dose"
We said
Thank you for your enquiry.
We published weekly counts of deaths, population and age-standardised mortality rates by vaccination status in our most recent publication on this topic, "Deaths involving COVID-19 by Vaccination Status, England: deaths occurring between 2 January and 31 October 2021". 10-year age breakdown is available monthly from 40 - 49 age group upwards.
Unfortunately, we cannot release the 10-year age group in the 18-39 counts and populations use to calculate the weekly ASMRs due to disclosure risks and our obligation to protect the confidentiality of individuals. 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.
Our next publication will include booster jabs which will be published in February 2022. Final release date will be announced on our Release Calendar.
As such, the information you have requested relating to the booster vaccination 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.