FOI ref: FOI/2023/4872

You asked

With reference to this data: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/deathsbyvaccinationstatusengland

Please can I make a freedom of information request for the latest possible data, preferably up to 31/12/22?

Please can you confirm whether the analysis for any deaths after May 2021 has been completed using census 2011 data? If so please can you send that. If not, can you please send any papers and emails that relate to the decision to stop using census 2011 data to inform this deaths by vaccination status report?

We said

Thank you for your request.

The Deaths by vaccination status, England analysis looks at deaths involving coronavirus (COVID-19), non-COVID-19 deaths and all deaths by vaccination status, broken down by age group and is produced by the Health Analysis and Pandemic Insight division.

This publication includes deaths registered in June 2022 to December 2022 data. This publication also includes a back series analysis from April 2021 to May 2022 data using Census 2021 data.

The publication was not discontinued but was paused to allow the data to be analysed using new Census 2021 data.

The previous publications used Census 2011 data. This only covers 79% of the population because the rates are derived for the cohort of people enumerated at 2011 Census who were registered with a GP (General Practitioner) at the beginning of the pandemic and who were alive at the beginning of the month of interest. If we use Census 2021 data, we can be representative of a much larger proportion of the population including people who migrated since the 2011 Census and people too young to be included in the 2011 Census.

In the next publication, we will be updating the data pipeline so that we can identify spring and autumn booster doses.

For further information please contact health.data@ons.gov.uk.