FOI-2024-1974
You asked
I request under the freedom of information the ONS for all adverse effects that occurred during and after the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
We said
Thank you for your request.
We are responsible for the production of mortality statistics for deaths registered in England and Wales, so can only provide information on deaths registered as attributed to the COVID-19 vaccine in England and Wales, and not wider effects related to the vaccine. The Medicines and Healthcare Product Regulatory Agency (MHRA) may be better placed to help with this part of your query. They can be contacted at info@mhra.gov.uk.
Deaths registered as attributed to the COVID-19 vaccine in England and Wales up until July 2023 can be found in Table 14 of Monthly mortality analysis, England and Wales. The ICD-10 code is U12.9, 'COVID-19 vaccines causing adverse effects in therapeutic use, unspecified'. Based on deaths registered between March 2020 and July 2023, in England, there were 63 deaths involving U12.9 and 55 deaths due to U12.9; in Wales, there was one death involving U12.9, and this was also listed as the underlying cause.
Please note that deaths "involving" a cause refer to deaths that had this cause mentioned anywhere on the death certificate, whether as an underlying cause or not. Deaths "due to" a cause refer only to deaths that had this as the underlying cause of death. Figures usually consist of first registrations only. On occasion, after further investigation, a death can be re-registered as a different cause of death. For transparency of our statistics, these figures include re-registrations as well as initial registrations.
This publication was discontinued in August 2023. Information showing deaths registered as attributed to the COVID-19 vaccine after July 2023 can be requested as an ad hoc data table by contacting health.data@ons.gov.uk. Such services are subject to disclosure controls, resources, legal frameworks, and an agreement of costs in line with our Charging Policy.
As such, Section 21(2)(a) of FOIA applies, as the requested information is reasonably accessible via another route, even if only accessible on payment.