Freedom of Information on All Yellow Card reports from COVID-19 vaccinations for the whole of the Channel Islands (Jersey, Guernsey and associated islands)- (FOI 22/036)
Published 31 May 2022
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FOI 22/036
26th January
Dear,
Thank you for your email dated 8th January 2021, where you asked for information on the following:
“All Yellow Card reports from COVID-19 vaccinations for the whole of the Channel Islands (Jersey, Guernsey and associated islands). I am a citizen of UK/Jersey, my local government do not record this data themselves. If possible I would like to know the number of suspected fatalities, in addition to the type of adverse reaction. Any other data you may have (i.e. age, demographic, date reported etc.) would be much appreciated.”
The MHRA works closely with the UK devolved administrations as well as the governments of the Channel Islands. All individuals receiving a vaccine are encouraged to report side effects to COVID-19 vaccines to the Yellow Card scheme by the local governments in these territories.
As per your request, up until 19/01/2022, I can confirm that we have received 783 UK spontaneous suspected Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) reports associated with COVID-19 vaccines reported from the Channel Islands. Please be aware that this information is based only on ADR reports received directly from either healthcare professionals or from patients, parents and carers. The accuracy of the data relies on the postcode being provided by the reporter on the original Yellow Card. Furthermore, if the postcode is incorrectly provided, the Yellow Card will not be included in this analysis. A breakdown of the number of reports per product is given in Table 1. As more than one product can be reported as the suspect drug in any individual case, the total number of reports per product may not be equal to the overall combined number of reports given above.
Table 1: The number of UK spontaneous suspected ADR reports received up until 19/01/2022, from the Channel Islands in association with COVID-19 vaccines.FOI 22/036
26th January
Dear,
Thank you for your email dated 8th January 2021, where you asked for information on the following:
“All Yellow Card reports from COVID-19 vaccinations for the whole of the Channel Islands (Jersey, Guernsey and associated islands). I am a citizen of UK/Jersey, my local government do not record this data themselves. If possible I would like to know the number of suspected fatalities, in addition to the type of adverse reaction. Any other data you may have (i.e. age, demographic, date reported etc.) would be much appreciated.”
The MHRA works closely with the UK devolved administrations as well as the governments of the Channel Islands. All individuals receiving a vaccine are encouraged to report side effects to COVID-19 vaccines to the Yellow Card scheme by the local governments in these territories.
As per your request, up until 19/01/2022, I can confirm that we have received 783 UK spontaneous suspected Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) reports associated with COVID-19 vaccines reported from the Channel Islands. Please be aware that this information is based only on ADR reports received directly from either healthcare professionals or from patients, parents and carers. The accuracy of the data relies on the postcode being provided by the reporter on the original Yellow Card. Furthermore, if the postcode is incorrectly provided, the Yellow Card will not be included in this analysis. A breakdown of the number of reports per product is given in Table 1. As more than one product can be reported as the suspect drug in any individual case, the total number of reports per product may not be equal to the overall combined number of reports given above.
Table 1: The number of UK spontaneous suspected ADR reports received up until 19/01/2022, from the Channel Islands in association with COVID-19 vaccines.
| Reported vaccine | Number of suspected ADR reports | |
|---|---|---|
| COVID-19 Pfizer/BioNTech Vaccine | 323 | |
| COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca | 404 | |
| COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna | 49 | |
| Brand unspecified at reporting | 8 | |
| Total | 784 |
Please also find attached Vaccine Analysis Prints (VAPs) for each COVID-19 vaccine for reports received from the Channel Islands. The VAP contains complete data for all spontaneous suspected adverse drug reactions, or side effects, as well as those which are associated with a fatal outcome. Please refer to the attached information sheet for guidelines on how to interpret the VAP.
When considering the attached spontaneous adverse drug reaction (ADR) data, it is important to be aware of the following points:
• A reported reaction does not necessarily mean it has been caused by the vaccine, only that the reporter had a suspicion it may have. Each year, millions of doses of vaccinations are given in the UK alone, and when any vaccine is administered to large numbers of people, some recipients will inevitably experience illness following vaccination. Underlying or concurrent illnesses may be responsible and such events can also be coincidental.
• Additionally, the number of reports received via the Yellow Card scheme does not directly equate to the number of people who suffer adverse reactions and therefore cannot be used to determine the incidence of a reaction or compare the safety profile of different vaccines.
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