FOI Ref: FOI/2021/2959
You asked
Please supply how many recorded deaths are part of the overall COVID DEATH TOTAL FIGURE that did not test positive for COVID-19, but in fact only showed symptoms, considering there was a new piece of legislation that offered such autonomy to medical professionals to state a death was COVID-19 related in their opinion regardless of any positive test being present. You are clearly collecting figures that show a positive test, you should therefore be collecting the same for negative tests, but where the death cert mentions COVID-19, as the law and guidance allows for this.
We said
Thank you for your enquiry into COVID-19 deaths.
We hold the following analysis: Monthly mortality analysis, England and Wales.
Our definition of COVID-19 (regardless of whether it was the underlying cause or mentioned elsewhere on the death certificate) includes some cases where the certifying doctor suspected the death involved COVID-19, but was not certain (U07.2).
For example, a doctor may have clinically diagnosed COVID-19 based on symptoms but this diagnosis may not have been confirmed with a test, so they may write "suspected COVID-19" on the death certificate.
Of the 128,355 deaths due to COVID-19 as of August 2021, 4,135 (3.2%) were classified as "suspected" COVID-19. Including all 144,526 deaths involving COVID-19, "suspected" COVID-19 was recorded on 3.3% (4,757 deaths) of all deaths involving COVID-19 in England and Wales.
For more information on the ICD-10 definition of COVID-19, see Section 8 of the methodology article.
If you would like further information, please contact Health.Data@ons.gov.uk.