So, I have received a reply to my FOI request, and it seems to not answer the main questions that were asked. The original request and response are below for perusal......
Freedom of Information Request Reference FOI-1380639
Thank you for your request dated 19 December, in which you asked the Department of
Health and Social Care (DHSC):
“Dear Sirs,
Please accept this e-mail as an official request for information under the Freedom of
Information Act
I would be most grateful if you were able to please provide accurate and up-to-date
information on the following points related to Covid statistics and the vaccination program
- How many of the covid deaths (up to and including the date of this request) are directly
linked to Covid compared to how many deaths are just within 28 days of a positive test and
are for something unrelated - How many of the deaths are attributable to each variant of covid (up to and including
omicron or additional variants which may be discovered before this request is looked into),
and if this information is not available please provide an explanation as to why this is the
case - Who made the decision to include deaths with 28 days of a positive covid test as a
covid death regardless of the actual cause of death, and when exactly was this decision
made - Who confirms that a death is covid related (GP, ME, Coroner etc), and do (or have) they
receive(d) additional recompense for listing a death as covid - Is there a database of those who have been tested, and if so, what information does it
hold on those people and how long will the information be held for, and is it shared with
other government departments - What short and long-term possible side effects of the "jab" are known by the department
(please provide specific information on any and all side effects and their frequency within
the population), and when were the department made aware of them - Please advise on if the vaccines being administered are still within a trial phase
I thank you in advance for your consideration of this request
Yours faithfully”
Your request has been handled under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).
- How many of the covid deaths (up to and including the date of this request) are
directly linked to Covid compared to how many deaths are just within 28 days of a
positive test and are for something unrelated - Who made the decision to include deaths with 28 days of a positive covid test as
a covid death regardless of the actual cause of death, and when exactly was this
decision made
DHSC does not hold this data. However, outside the scope of FOIA and on a discretionary
basis, the following information might be of interest to you.
On the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Coronavirus dashboard, here:
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/deaths, two death metrics are reported for the UK:
- Deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test - the total number of people
who had a positive test result for COVID-19 and died within 28 days of the first
positive test. People who died more than 28 days after their first positive test are not
included, whether or not COVID-19 was the cause of death. - Deaths with Covid-19 on the death certificate - provisional counts of the number
of deaths registered in the UK where COVID-19 is mentioned as a cause on the
death certificate. The deceased may not have had a confirmed positive test for
COVID-19. People who had had COVID-19 but did not have it mentioned on their
death certificate as a cause of death are excluded. However, there is a lag in
reporting of at least 11 days because the data are based on death registrations.
For England, total number of people who either died within 60 days of their first positive
test for COVID-19 or have COVID-19 mentioned on their death certificate, since the start
of the pandemic is also reported on the UKHSA dashboard.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) also publish provisional counts of the number of
deaths registered in England and Wales, here: Deaths registered weekly in England and
Wales, provisional - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk) .
This publication includes figures on deaths involving COVID-19 (any mention on the death
certificate) and deaths due to COVID-19 (underlying cause) in the tab ‘Weekly figures by
cause’. Please be aware that it is standard practice to look at the underlying cause of
death when looking at any death, from any cause (not just Covid). The terms ‘sole cause
of death’ or ‘alone’ are not commonly used, and ‘underlying cause of death’ is the standard
definition for all deaths.
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have published an assessment of the impact of
different time limits from the first positive COVID-19 specimen and date of death (with and
without mention of COVID-19 on the death certificate) on the mortality series, on page 9 of
the following technical summary: PHE reporting of COVID-19 deaths: technical summary –
12 August 2020 (publishing.service.gov.uk)For more information in relation to these statistics, you may wish to contact UKHSA at
[email protected].
Or ONS at [email protected].
- How many of the deaths are attributable to each variant of covid (up to and
including omicron or additional variants which may be discovered before this
request is looked into), and if this information is not available please provide an
explanation as to why this is the case
DHSC does not hold this data. However, outside the scope of FOIA and on a discretionary
basis, the following information might be of interest to you.
UKHSA publish SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and variants under investigation in
England, here Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 variants: technical briefings - GOV.UK
(www.gov.uk). In technical briefing 28, Table 3 shows the number of sequenced,
genotyped, and total cases and deaths for each variant.
UKHSA also publish COVID-19: Omicron daily overview, here: COVID-19: Omicron daily
overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). This includes total cases (UK), England regional
breakdown, S-gene target failure (SGTF) as a percentage of cases, hospitalisation, and
death information.
For more information in relation to these statistics, you may wish to contact UKHSA at
[email protected]. - Who confirms that a death is covid related (GP, ME, Coroner etc), and do (or
have) they receive(d) additional recompense for listing a death as covid
Medical practitioners do not receive specific recompense for stating COVID-19 on the
Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD). The Department of Health and Social
Care are not the lead Government department for the relevant policy and guidance for
MCCDs.
You may want to contact General Register Office/Home Office which is the lead
department for MCCDs and leads on the relevant guidance – link below – and relevant
extract:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-notes-for-completing-a-medical-
certificate-of-cause-of-death.
In response to the provisions in the Coronavirus Act 2020 in relation to death certification,
the General Register Office and the Office for National Statistics published revised
guidance to medical practitioners completing medical certificates of cause of death
(MCCD) for a period of emergency.
Medical practitioners are expected to state the cause of death to the best of their
knowledge and belief. This guidance confirms that COVID-19 is an acceptable direct or
underlying cause of death for the purposes of completing the MCCD.5) Is there a database of those who have been tested, and if so, what information
does it hold on those people and how long will the information be held for, and is it
shared with other government departments
DHSC does not hold this data. You may wish to contact UKHSA at
[email protected]. - What short and long-term possible side effects of the "jab" are known by the
department (please provide specific information on any and all side effects and their
frequency within the population), and when were the department made aware of
them.
This information is not held by the Department; the requestor may wish to contact the
MHRA.
A summary is publicly available at
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-vaccine-adverse-
reactions/coronavirus-vaccine-summary-of-yellow-card-reporting - Please advise on if the vaccines being administered are still within a trial phase
All vaccines administered have completed clinical trials but were initially supplied in the UK
on a temporary basis under Regulation 174 of the Human Medicine Regulations 2012.
Further information is publicly available at the links below, in accordance with Section 21
of the FOI Act:
Regulatory approval of Vaxzevria (previously COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca) - GOV.UK
(www.gov.uk)
Regulatory approval of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for COVID-19 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Regulatory approval of Spikevax (formerly COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna) - GOV.UK
(www.gov.uk)
Regulatory approval of COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
If you are not satisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to appeal by
asking for an internal review. This should be sent to [email protected] or
to the address at the top of this letter and be submitted within two months of the date of
this letter.
Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communication.
If you are not content with the outcome of your internal review, you may complain directly
to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Generally, the ICO cannot make a
decision unless you have already appealed our original response and received our internal
review decision. You should raise your concerns with the ICO within three months of your
last meaningful contact with us.
The ICO can be contacted at:
The Information Commissioner’s OfficeWycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow SK9 5AF
Website: https://ico.org.uk/concerns
Yours sincerely,
Freedom of Information Team
[email protected]