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<p>The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Professor
Sir Ian Diamond</strong> | National Statistician</p><p> </p><p>The Rt Hon the Lord
Blencathra</p><p>House of Lords</p><p>London</p><p>SW1A 0PW</p><p> </p><p>25 May 2021</p><p>
</p><p>Dear Lord Blencathra,</p><p> </p><p>As National Statistician and Chief Executive
of the UK Statistics Authority, I am replying to your Parliamentary Questions asking
what plans there are to publish statistics on the number of people who died from COVID-19,
as opposed to the number who died from other causes but had a positive COVID-19 test
within 28 days of their death <strong>(HL258)</strong>; and the number of excess deaths
recorded in the COVID-19 deaths statistics of people who did not die from COVID-19,
but who are listed in the statistics because they had a positive COVID-19 test within
28 days of their death <strong>(HL259)</strong>.</p><p> </p><p>The Office for National
Statistics (ONS) is responsible for statistics on deaths registered in England and
Wales and publishes a weekly bulletin[1] based on provisional mortality data. Cause
of death is defined using the International Classification of Diseases and Related
Health Problems, 10th edition (ICD-10). The ICD-10 codes used are: U07.1 (COVID-19,
virus identified), U07.2 (COVID-19, virus not identified), U10.9 (Multisystem inflammatory
syndrome associated with COVID-19), U09.9 (Post-COVID condition, where the acute COVID
had ended before the condition immediately causing death occurred).</p><p> </p><p>Mortality
statistics are compiled from information supplied when deaths are certified and registered
as part of civil registration. The death certificate is completed by a doctor (or
coroner), who can certify the involvement of COVID-19 based on symptoms and clinical
findings – a positive test result is not required. Diseases and health conditions
are recorded on the death certificate only if the certifying doctor or coroner believed
they made some contribution to the death, direct or indirect; the death certificate
does not include all health conditions the deceased might have suffered from if they
were not considered relevant. Therefore, ONS statistics on deaths involving COVID-19
do not include deaths from causes other than COVID-19 but where the deceased had a
positive COVID-19 test result. A death is not counted as involving COVID-19 on the
basis of a test result only.</p><p> </p><p>ONS data are different from the figures
on COVID-19 deaths published on the <em>GOV.UK Coronavirus in the UK</em> dashboard[2]
which shows ‘deaths within 28 days of a positive test’. Section 7 of the ONS weekly
deaths bulletin[3] compares these numbers. You can read a blog by Professor John Newton
of Public Health England[4] which explains the different methods for counting COVID-19
deaths.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Yours sincerely,</p><p><strong>Professor Sir Ian Diamond</strong></p><p>
</p><p>[1]<a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsregisteredweeklyinenglandandwalesprovisional/latest"
target="_blank">https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsregisteredweeklyinenglandandwalesprovisional/latest</a></p><p>[2]<a
href="https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/" target="_blank">https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/</a></p><p>[3]<a
href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsregisteredweeklyinenglandandwalesprovisional/weekending7may2021#comparison-of-weekly-deaths-occurrences-in-england-and-wales"
target="_blank">https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsregisteredweeklyinenglandandwalesprovisional/weekending7may2021#comparison-of-weekly-deaths-occurrences-in-england-and-wales</a></p><p>[4]<a
href="https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2020/08/12/behind-the-headlines-counting-covid-19-deaths/"
target="_blank">https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2020/08/12/behind-the-headlines-counting-covid-19-deaths/</a></p><p>
</p><p> </p>
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