You asked
I understand that ONS are responsible for providing statistics regarding COVID-19 UK deaths to the government.
Please confirm whether your calculations are based on evidence, backed up by autopsies performed prior to issue of death certificates.
If not, can you provide how you have concluded the individual actually died from COVID-19.
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:
a) the disease or injury that initiated the train of events directly leading to death, or
b) the circumstances of the accident or violence that produced the fatal injury
We can only report statistics based on the information that is recorded on the death certificate, which will have been completed a doctor. Not all deaths require post-mortem examination. You can find guidance designed for doctors completing the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) on the GOV.UK website via the following link: Guidance for doctors completing Medical Certificates of Cause of Death in England and Wales