This is an HTML version of an attachment to the Freedom of Information request 'How many of recorded Deaths 28 days after vaccination were COVID related?'.



 
 
 
 
Date: 31 August 2021  
 
Our Ref: 2021-000833 
 
Enquiries to: xxx.xxx@xxx.xxxx 
 
 
Dear Claire Marcello 
Freedom of Information Reference: 2021-000833  
Thank you for your request for information of 12 August 2021.  
“Please can you provide information on the breakdown by cause of death, for the 
deaths reported 28 days after vaccination, published on June 23rd 2021? 
Specifically, could you provide info for each age cohort on deaths recorded as 
COVID related.”  

Public Health Scotland does hold data relevant to your request; however, it would require 
significant bespoke analysis that is not possible within the time and resource limits for a 
Freedom of Information request. Therefore, the exemption Section 17(1) - Information not 
held is applied to your request, under the Freedom of Information Scotland Act (2002).  
Bespoke complex analysis can be requested via the Information Request Service. 
Further information is available via General enquiries form - General enquiries - Contact 
us - Public Health Scotland. 
Please ensure you state in your enquiry “Information 
Request - Bespoke data analysis required following response of FOI 2021-000833 FAO 
COVID-19 Data & Analytics Team”.  
Further information is available on the following page, bespoke data analysis requests - 
Contact us - Public Health Scotland 
including protocol and disclosure protocol. Please be 
aware that there may be a charge to cover the cost of completing this work. Further 
details can be found in the PHS Information Request Service Charging Policy. 
 
“Also, relating to table 17 of the following weekly COVID Statistic report (accessed 
at:) https://publichealthscotland.scot/media/8631/21-08-04-covid19-
publication_report.pdf#page28 
Please can you state how many of the deaths by 
age group listed as ‘Unvaccinated’ had not received a dose of vaccine (within 21 
days prior to death or otherwise). It strikes me that a high percentage of deaths 
reported to be ‘unvaccinated’ have received the vaccine up to 28 days prior to 
death. This is very misleading to the public and I believe that the way data is 
presented should be reviewed, so that genuine ‘unvaccinated’ deaths- whereby no 
vaccine has been administered should be reported separately from those who have 
received a dose within prior 21 days of death- to accurately report on the situation 
for unvaccinated, and also to accurately assess impact of potential adverse effects 
of vaccination.” 
 

 


Please note Public Health Scotland’s definition of “Unvaccinated”: An individual that has 
had no doses of COVID-19 vaccine and has tested positive for COVID-19 by PCR or has 
had one dose of COVID-19 vaccine and has tested positive less than or equal to 21 days 
after their 1st dose of COVID-19 vaccine.  
The reason the 21-day calculation is utilised is due to it taking that long for the 
vaccination to have full effect. 
Of the 3,052 deaths (all causes) that were reported in the unvaccinated category 2,485 of 
these (81.4%) had not received a dose of COVID-19 vaccine when they tested positive 
for COVID-19 by PCR and the remaining 567 (18.6%) had tested positive less than or 
equal to 21 days after their 1st dose of COVID-19 vaccine. 
 
 
Scottish Information Commissioner’s website: 
For information I include a link to the Regulator’s website. 
 
If you are unhappy with our response to your request you have the right to request a 
review. Your request should be made within 40 working days of receipt of this 
correspondence, and we will reply within 20 working days of receipt. The review will be 
undertaken by a reviewer who was not involved in the original decision-making process. 
The reviewer can be contacted as follows: 
 
The FOI Reviewer 
Public Health Scotland 
Gyle Square 
1 South Gyle Crescent 
Edinburgh  
EH12 9EB 
Email: xxx.xxx@xxx.xxxx 
 
If our decision is unchanged following a review and you remain dissatisfied, you have the 
right to make a formal complaint to the Scottish Information Commissioner within six 
months of receipt of our review response. You can do this by using the Scottish 
Information Commissioner’s Office online appeals service at 
www.itspublicknowledge.info/Appeal. If you remain dissatisfied with the Commissioner’s 
response you then have the option to appeal to the Court of Session on a point of law. 
 
Yours sincerely 
 
 
 
Scott Heald 
Director of Data Driven Innovation  
Public Health Scotland