UK refuses to publish Covid vaccine deaths—as it may discourage others

UK health officials have refused to reveal the number of people who died after a Covid jab as it might deter others from taking it.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has released the data privately to the vaccine manufacturers but has resisted requests from MPs and pressure groups to publish them.

In a letter to a pressure group USForThem, the UKHSA said that publishing the data ‘could lead to misinformation’ that would ‘have an adverse impact on vaccine uptake’ by the public.   It also said that publishing the data risked damaging the well-being and mental health of the families and friends of people who died.

The Information Commissioner, which oversees freedom of information requests, has also ruled in the UKHSA’s favour, backing its refusal to publish the data.

Concerns about the safety of the Covid vaccines were voiced last year by a group of MPs who expressed alarm about ‘growing public and professional concerns’ over the UK’s rates of excess deaths since 2020, the year when the first Covid vaccinations were introduced.

Ben Kingsley, the legal director of UsForThem, said: “You have to ask yourself why it is that the public are considered incapable of handling this data.  It reveals a patronising mindset, which also characterised the pandemic response: “do what we say, don’t ask any questions, we know what is best for you”.

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