FOI REF: FOI-2023-1460
You asked
Please may I request information regarding the COVID-19 vaccine and deaths and disability in the UK.
We said
Thank you for your request.
We are responsible for the production of mortality data for England and Wales, driven by information collected from the death certificate at death registration. National Records Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) are responsible for statistics pertaining to Scotland and Northern Ireland. They can be contacted at foi@nrscotland.gov.uk and info@nisra.gov.uk respectively.
Deaths due to the COVID-19 vaccination
We produce statistics for deaths which occur in England and Wales, using the information provided during the registration of a death. Cause of death is coded using version 10 of the International Classification of Diseases (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.
Deaths directly attributed to the COVID-19 vaccination use ICD-10 Code U12.9.
Deaths due to adverse reaction to the COVID-19 vaccination in England and Wales up to July 2023 can be found in our Monthly mortality analysis, England and Wales publication.
As of July 2023, there were 63 deaths in England involving the COVID-19 vaccination of which 55 have this as the underlying cause of death. In Wales, there was one death where adverse reaction to the COVID-19 vaccination is the underlying cause of death.
We will no longer be updating the Monthly Mortality Analysis, England and Wales series. This publication was created during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to answer important questions around mortality in a timely manner. The Deaths registered weekly in England and Wales publication will continue to be updated weekly, and the Deaths registered monthly in England and Wales dataset will continue to provide number of deaths by local authority on a monthly basis.
If you would like to request further mortality data, this can be created as a bespoke request. Special extracts and tabulations of mortality data for England and Wales are available to order and would be subject to legal frameworks, disclosure control, resources and agreements of costs under the ONS Charging policy. Such enquiries can be made to: Health.Data@ons.gov.uk.
Disability due to the COVID-19 vaccination
We do not hold data regarding adverse reactions to the COVID-19 vaccination that do not result in death.
The Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Authority's (MHRA) role is to 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. 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.
MHRA may be better placed to answer your query, as they are responsible for the Yellow Card Scheme. They can be contacted using this form.
Deaths by COVID-19 Vaccination status
Our Deaths by vaccination status, England analysis provides the number of deaths in England by Vaccination status, by all causes, deaths involving COVID-19, and deaths not involving COVID-19 up to May 2023.
The data are for England only. Vaccinations data for Wales is not yet available to be linked to the mortality dataset and the Public Health Data Asset (PHDA) covers England only. Therefore, data for Wales is not held. Please note, this dataset does not show deaths due to or attributed to the vaccine.
We do not hold this information by disability status.