Public Health and Vaccines

Summary

A request for data on adverse reactions and deaths related to Covid-19 vaccines on the Isle of Man was partially fulfilled, with the Cabinet Office clarifying that the Public Health Directorate does not collate this specific data as the island participates in the UK MHRA Yellow Card Scheme.

Key Facts

• The Public Health Directorate does not collate data on adverse drug reactions for Covid-19 vaccines.
• The Isle of Man participates in the UK MHRA Yellow Card Scheme due to its small population size.
• There have been no deaths registered on the Isle of Man where the cause was stated as vaccine-related.
• The UK MHRA Yellow Card Scheme recorded 2,226 deaths in the United Kingdom where concern existed regarding association with vaccination.
• Public Health collates data on deaths from all causes but does not specifically monitor vaccine-related injuries or illnesses.

Data Disclosed

• 2,226
• 2022-09-13
• 2022-09-30
• 2625765

Original Request

How many adverse drug reactions (illness or injury) have been reported to the Public Health Directorate in relation to Covid-19 vaccines on the Isle of Man since the rollout of covid vaccines began? How many deaths have been reported to the Public Health Directorate which referenced an adverse drug reaction to a Covid-19 vaccine? What monitoring is carried out on island injuries, illness or death relating to the Covid-19 vaccines? What is the average age of those who have reported adverse drug reactions to the Public Health Directorate relating to the Covid-19 vaccines?

Data Tables (1)

Full Response Text

Government Office Douglas Isle of Man IM1 3PN Telephone: (+44) 01624 686244 Website: www.gov.im/co

Our ref: 2625765 30 September 2022

Dear ###

We write further to your request which was received on 13 September 2022 and which states:

"How many adverse drug reactions (illness or injury) have been reported to the Public Health Directorate in relation to Covid-19 vaccines on the Isle of Man since the rollout of covid vaccines began? How many deaths have been reported to the Public Health Directorate which referenced an adverse drug reaction to a Covid-19 vaccine? What monitoring is carried out on island injuries, illness or death relating to the Covid- 19 vaccines? What is the average age of those who have reported adverse drug reactions to the Public Health Directorate relating to the Covid-19 vaccines?"

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Cabinet Office does not hold some of the information that you have requested. I have detailed below the information that is held. 1 - How many adverse drug reactions (illness or injury) have been reported to the Public Health Directorate in relation to Covid-19 vaccines on the Isle of Man since the rollout of covid vaccines began? Data on adverse drug reactions are not collated by the Public Health Directorate. The Isle of Man is part of the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) Yellow Card Scheme which is a reporting system for suspected side effects from medicines, vaccines, e-cigarettes and medical devices. The MHRA has a specific website for the reporting of suspected side effects from medicines, vaccines, medical devices and test kits used for COVID-19: https://coronavirus- yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/ . The Isle of Man participates in the MHRA scheme because our population is too small to generate appropriate reports. The MHRA publishes weekly summaries of COVID vaccine suspected side effect reporting which are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-vaccine-adverse- reactions/coronavirus-vaccine-summary-of-yellow-card-reporting.

2 - How many deaths have been reported to the Public Health Directorate which referenced an adverse drug reaction to a Covid-19 vaccine? This data is not held by the Public Health Directorate however data from the UK MRHA yellow card scheme website identifies that there have been 2,226 deaths in the United Kingdom reported to the yellow card scheme where there was concern that the death may have been associated with COVID-19 vaccination. There have been no deaths registered on-Island where a cause of death was stated as vaccine related. 3 - What monitoring is carried out on island injuries, illness or death relating to the Covid-19 vaccines? See responses to 1 and 2 above. Public Health does not monitor injuries, illnesses or deaths relating to Covid-19 vaccines but does collate data on deaths from all causes (including Covid-19 related) and would seek to respond to any increasing trends relating to a particular identified cause. 4 - What is the average age of those who have reported adverse drug reactions to the Public Health Directorate relating to the Covid-19 vaccines? This data is not held by the Public Health Directorate. See above response to part 1 of the question. The above referenced link includes some data on certain age groups - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-vaccine-adverse- reactions/coronavirus-vaccine-summary-of-yellow-card-reporting#analysis-of-data Please quote the reference number 2625765 in any future communications.

Your right to request a review

If you are unhappy with this response to your freedom of information request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by completing a complaint form and submitting it electronically or by delivery/post.

An electronic version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website at https://services.gov.im/freedom-of-information/Review . If you would like a paper version of our complaint form to be sent to you by post, please contact me and I will be happy to arrange for this. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made as soon as practicable. We will respond as soon as the review has been concluded.

If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner for a decision on; 1. Whether we have responded to your request for information in accordance with Part 2 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015; or 2. Whether we are justified in refusing to give you the information requested.
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More detailed information on your right to a review can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website at www.inforights.im. Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me. Further information about freedom of information requests can be found at www.gov.im/foi.

I will now close your request as of this date.