Freedom of Information request on Yellow Card reports of shoulder injury following the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine (FOI 21/1081)
Published 27 April 2022
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20th October 2021
FOI 21/1081
Dear
Thank you for your email dated 24th September 2021, where you requested information on all Yellow Card reports of shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA) associated with the COVID-19 vaccines, reported by clinicians from West Birmingham practices since February 2021.
The MHRA’s role is to continually monitor safety during widespread use of a vaccine. We have in place a proactive strategy to do this. We also work closely with our public health partners in reviewing the effectiveness and impact of the vaccines to ensure the benefits continue to outweigh any possible side effects. Part of our monitoring role includes reviewing reports of suspected side effects. Any member of the public or health professional can submit suspected side effects through the Yellow Card scheme.
As per your request, a search has been conducted within our database for the total number of Yellow Card reports reported from West Birmingham practices for any COVID-19 vaccine associated with SIRVA or any other related terms between 01/01/2021 and 13/10/2021. I can confirm that the MHRA have received no cases reporting SIRVA or any other shoulder injury related terms, in association with the COVID-19 vaccines from the West Birmingham practices you listed in your request.
It is important to note that this search was conducted based on reporter postal code and that address is not a mandatory field when submitting a Yellow Card report for a medicine or vaccine. Therefore, the data provided may not be a true reflection of the number of Yellow Card COVID-19 vaccine reports submitted from West Birmingham practices.
I hope the information provided is helpful, but 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