Freedom of Information request on autopsies and death following COVID-19 vaccination (FOI 21/929)
Published 25 February 2022
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7th September 2021
FOI 21/929
Dear
Thank you for your FOI request dated 16th August 2021 where you requested:
‘As the Yellow card reporting system is used to enable the monitoring of possible adverse events from the covid vaccines, can you advise the following?
- How many autopsies have been conducted on the fatal cases listed on the yellow card reporting for all covid vaccines?
- How many autopsies have been conducted on the babies and foetuses reported as spontaneous abortion and still birth, as a consequence of the covid vaccines?’
Unfortunately, the information you have requested is not held by the MHRA and as such we would advise you to contact the Office for National Statistics Contact us - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk).
The MHRA takes all reports of fatal events in patients who have received a COVID-19 vaccine very seriously and every report with a fatal outcome is fully evaluated and kept under continual review. We follow-up reports with a fatal outcome, where permission has been provided to do so, for further information, including post-mortem details if available. All details within a report are thoroughly assessed to consider whether the vaccine may have caused the event, or whether the event and fatal outcome were likely to be purely coincidental and due to underlying illness. The information is thoroughly analysed for patterns or evidence which might suggest a causal link between the vaccination and the death alongside data available from international sources. This is further considered by the Commission on Human Medicine and its Expert Advisory Groups.
If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to ask for an internal review. Internal review requests should be submitted within two months of the date of this response; and can be addressed to this email address.
Yours sincerely,
FOI Team,
Vigilance and Risk Management of Medicines Division