Petition Launch a Public Inquiry into excess mortality in England and Wales

Government responded

This response was given on 11 July 2023

The Government has no plans for a further public inquiry. It is taking steps to reduce excess deaths. There is no evidence linking excess deaths to the COVID-19 vaccine.

The ONS published analysis in February 2023 that showed that the COVID-19 mortality rate has been consistently lower since the COVID-19 vaccine booster introduction in September 2021 for people who have had at least a third dose or booster, compared with unvaccinated people and those with just a first or second dose. When looking at deaths from other causes, mortality rates are broadly consistent between those who have received at least a third dose or booster and those who have not received any. The observed excess deaths are likely caused by a range of factors, but COVID-19 vaccination is not one of them.

Safe and effective vaccines have underpinned our strategy for living with COVID-19 and have saved tens of thousands of lives, whilst also significantly reducing the pressure on the NHS. Each candidate COVID-19 vaccine is assessed by teams of scientists and clinicians on a case-by-case basis and is only authorised once it has met robust standards of effectiveness, safety and quality set by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The MHRA has also implemented a proactive vaccine safety surveillance strategy for monitoring the continued safety of all UK-approved COVID-19 vaccines. Antivirals and other treatments provide a necessary additional defence by protecting patients who become infected with COVID-19, particularly those for whom the vaccine may be less effective such as the immunosuppressed. We are preparing for variants of COVID-19 and seasonal flu infections with an integrated COVID-19 booster and flu vaccination programme, minimising hospital admissions from both viruses.

We have also launched a COVID-19 Inquiry to examine the UK’s preparedness and response to the pandemic and learn lessons for the future. Throughout the pandemic the Government acted to save lives and livelihoods, prevent the NHS being overwhelmed and deliver a world-leading vaccine rollout, which protected millions of lives across the nation. The Department is committed to supporting the Inquiry. The Inquiry also plans to add a Module on Vaccines and Therapeutics (Module 4).

In addition to work to reduce deaths from COVID-19, we are also taking steps to reduce deaths from other diseases such as cardiovascular disease (CVD). Recent data shows that more people are now receiving an NHS Health Check, a core part of our CVD prevention pathway, than before the pandemic. However, we want to go even further by creating a national digital check. The Department of continues to work with partners to consider what more can be done to improve the prevention, detection, diagnosis and management of CVD and we will set out our plan in the Major Conditions Strategy. Further information: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2023-01-24/hcws514

We know that when people have heart attacks and strokes they need urgent care. That is why we have set an ambition in the recently published delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services for ambulances getting to patients quicker: with improved ambulance response times for Category 2 incidents to 30 minutes on average over 2023/24, with further improvement in 2024/25 towards pre-pandemic levels. Further information: https://www.england.nhs.uk/2023/01/major-plan-to-recover-urgent-and-emergency-care-services/

The NHS has published a delivery plan setting out how the NHS will recover and expand elective services over the next three years. The plan commits the NHS to deliver 9 million additional treatments and diagnostic procedures over the next three years and around 30 per cent more elective activity than it was doing before the pandemic by 2024-25. Through the pathway improvement programme, we will create extra capacity for elective care and improve patient health outcomes. Further information: https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/publication/delivery-plan-for-tackling-the-covid-19-backlog-of-elective-care/

Department of Health and Social Care