FOI Ref: FOI/2023/5061
You asked
Could you please tell me the number of deaths caused by all vaccines, except Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines, from 1960 to 2019?
Also all deaths attributed to all COVID-19 vaccines from 2020- 2023.
We said
Thank you for your request.
Our mortality data comes from the information collected at death registration. All of the conditions mentioned on the death certificate are coded using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). From all of these causes, an underlying cause of death is selected using ICD-10 coding rules. The underlying cause of death is defined by WHO as:
- The disease or injury that initiated the train of events directly leading to death, or
- The circumstances of the accident or violence that produced the fatal injury
The official guidance on the completion of the Medical Certificate of cause of death (MCCD) advises "Never use 'natural causes' alone. The term "natural causes" alone, with no specification of any disease on a doctor's MCCD, is not sufficient to allow the death to be registered without referral to the coroner. If you do not have any idea what disease caused your patient's death, it is up to the coroner to decide what investigations may be needed."
Therefore, there will always be a specific cause of death assigned to the deceased MCCD. Deaths that were due to a vaccination are coded to Y58 and Y59. Additionally, deaths due to COVID-19 vaccines causing adverse effects in therapeutic use are coded to U129.
You can access annual mortality figures caused by vaccines between 2013-2021 by using the interactive dataset available on our NOMIS webservice. Deaths due to vaccines use the ICD-10 codes Y58, Y59.
If you would like to disaggregate by sex or age bands or look at other information. Please see the following instructions for how to use our NOMIS webservice:
- Select dates (2013 to 2021)
- Select the geography (England and Wales, regional or by local authority).
- Select Age - All ages or 5-year age bands.
- Select Gender - Total or Male/Female
- Select rates - All deaths, rates or percentage of population for example.
- Select cause of death (ICD10 code search is available or select Y58, Y59).
- Select format (Excel or CSV for example)
This criteria search outputs 1 death in 2018 coded to Y59 in 2018, aged 45-49.
We also hold raw data prior to 2013 and can produce the requested information for these dates as bespoke request via our bespoke services route. Such services are subject to legal frameworks, resources and agreement of costs, subject to our charging policy. If you would like to request this bespoke dataset, please health.data@ons.gov.uk to discuss your enquiry further.
As this information is reasonably accessible via another route, even if only accessible on payment, Section 21(2)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) applies.
Deaths involving COVID-19 vaccination
We regularly publish data on deaths by leading causes in our Monthly Mortality Analysis. These data are driven by information collected from the death certificate at death registration. Table 14 shows deaths involving COVID-19 vaccines causing adverse effects in therapeutic use. You can see from this that the number of deaths involving COVID-19 vaccines causing adverse effects in therapeutic use from March 2020 up to February 2023 in England was 59 deaths, 51 of which had this cause listed as the underlying cause. In Wales, there was one death, which was also listed as the underlying cause. Additionally, these figures are broken down by age in table 15. Our next Monthly Mortality Analysis update will next be published on 25 April 2023.
Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Authority
The Yellow Card Scheme which is provided by the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Authority (MHRA) may also be able to offer further information. They continually monitor the safety of any medicine or vaccine once they are approved for use. Yellow Card is a website where any member of the public or health professional can report any suspected side effect or adverse reaction to a medical product including vaccines. This includes deaths, which are reported by others on behalf of the deceased person. As the information is self-reported, it means that the suspected side effects are not always proven and some of the side effects may have occurred regardless of the vaccine. They can be contacted using this form.
If you would like to discuss your enquiry further, please contact Health.Data@ons.gov.uk.