You asked
How many people have died from complications of taking the Coronasvirus vaccines also how many people have taken ill because of the Coronasvirus vaccine.
We said
Thank you for your enquiry.
Our mortality data is taken from the information provided on death certificates.
The death certificate used in England and Wales is compatible with that recommended by WHO. It is set out in two parts. Part I gives the condition or sequence of conditions leading directly to death, while Part II gives details of any associated conditions that contributed to the death but are not part of the causal sequence.
When ONS receive the data, we use computer algorithms to apply rules which increase the consistency and improve the international and temporal comparability of mortality statistics. Therefore, we can only report on what is recorded on the death certificate during this process. More information about the information included on the death certificate and our death registration process can be found in our mortality statistics user guide, accessible via the following link: User Guide to Mortality Statistics.
For deaths involving an adverse reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine, we will now use the recently implemented WHO International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision. ICD-10 code.
U12.9 COVID-19 vaccines causing adverse effects in therapeutic use, unspecified
Note:
This code is to be used as an external cause code (i.e. as a sub category under Y59, "Other and unspecified vaccines and biological substances"). In addition to this, a code from another chapter of the classification should be used indicating the nature of the adverse effect.
Correct administration of COVID-19 vaccine in prophylactic therapeutic use as the cause of any adverse effect
We are currently analysing data and will include these figures in the Monthly Mortality Analysis publication.
As such, the information you have requested 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.
We do not hold any information on adverse reactions to the vaccine. NHS Digital may be better placed to answer your enquiry. They can be contacted via email at enquiries@nhsdigital.nhs.uk.