Deaths from COVID-19 to-date (FOI)

​Request 

I would like to know please the exact figure from the 01 January 2019 until the 8 July 2022 of people who died of COVID-19 alone and not anything else, in all settings in Jersey, including all hospitals such as Jersey General Hospital, Overdale Hospital, St Saviour's Hospital etc., all care homes and domestic premises and workplaces etc. 

Kindly break this down to include the exact date, setting / place the person died, e.g., Jersey General Hospital, Overdale Hospital, St Saviour's Hospital etc., all care homes and domestic premises or workplaces etc., to include sex, age and vaccination status of the person or persons.

Response 

The 'Cause of Death' section on a death registration consists of four sections (1a, 1b, 1c and 2) for conditions which together present a narrative of the person's state of health at the point of their death. This is provided so as to give comprehensive details of the conditions that lead to a person's death. 

Only those conditions which caused the death are included. Any condition which a person is suffering with at the time of their death but did not cause the death is not included. For example: 

1a The disease or condition that lead to the death (e.g., Respiratory Failure) 

1b Antecedent causes (e.g., Pneumonia) 

1c Morbid conditions giving rise to the above causes (e.g., COVID-19) 

2. Other significant conditions contributing to the death but not related to the disease or condition causing it (e.g., Diabetes Mellitus, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)

Between 01/01/2019 and 08/07/2022 six Covid-19 related deaths which occurred in Jersey were registered with no other causes of death under sections 1b, 1c or 2 as follows: 

1. Died 29/12/2020 in a Care Home – Cause of death: 1a. COVID-19 Pneumonia, 1b. ---, 1c. ---, 2. --- 

2. Died 14/12/2021 at the General Hospital – Cause of death: 1a. COVID-19 Pneumonitis, 1b. ---, 1c. ---, 2. --- 

3. Died 01/01/2021 at the General Hospital – Cause of death: 1a. COVID-19 Pneumonitis with Superimposed Bacterial Pneumonia, 1b. ---, 1c. ---, --- 

4. Died 18/07/2021 at the General Hospital – Cause of death: 1a. COVID-19 Infection, 1b. ---, 1c. ---, 2. --- 

5. Died 05/02/2022 in a Care Home – Cause of death:1a. COVID-19, 1b. ---, 1c. ---, --- 

6. Died 17/03/2022 in a Care Home – Cause of death: 1a. COVID-19 Infection, 1b. No events found, 1c. ---, 2. --- 

Due to the small number of cases, disclosure control has been applied to avoid breaching the privacy of individuals involved. Article 25 (Personal Information) of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies. 

Whilst there may be public interest in details surrounding COVID-19 related deaths, the granular details requested could, if released, identify specific individuals. Release of the personal information requested could negatively impact living relatives or other connected individuals and it is considered that their right to privacy outweighs the public interest supporting the release of the information requested 

Vaccine status is not registered on death certificates and the information is therefore not held in recorded form. Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies. 

Articles applied 

Article 3 - Meaning of "information held by a public authority"

For the purposes of this Law, information is held by a public authority if –

(a) it is held by the authority, otherwise than on behalf of another person; or

(b) it is held by another person on behalf of the authority. 

Article 25 - Personal information 

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2005.

(2) Information is absolutely exempt information if –

(a) it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is not the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2005; and

(b) its supply to a member of the public would contravene any of the data protection principles, as defined in that Law.

3) In determining for the purposes of this Article whether the lawfulness principle in Article 8(1)(a) of the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018 would be contravened by the disclosure of information, paragraph 5(1) of Schedule 2 to that Law (legitimate interests) is to be read as if sub-paragraph (b) (which disapplies the provision where the controller is a public authority) were omitted.