Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many deaths from COVID-19 there were among patients in hospital aged under 60 with no pre-existing medical conditions; and what assessment they have made of these deaths.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

Dear Lord Robathan,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking how many deaths from COVID-19 there were among patients in hospital aged under 60 with no pre-existing medical conditions (HL8682).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes statistics on deaths in England and Wales and produces a monthly report[1] on provisional deaths involving COVID-19. Mortality statistics are compiled from information supplied when deaths are certified and registered as part of civil registration. In England and Wales, deaths should ideally be registered within 5 days of the death occurring, but there are some situations that result in the registration of the death being delayed[2].

National Records for Scotland[3] and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency[4] are responsible for publishing statistics on deaths registered in Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively.

Information on pre-existing health conditions is available based on the conditions mentioned on the death certificate. Our reports on deaths involving COVID-19 contained analysis of pre-existing conditions, most recently based on death occurrences between 2 March and 30 June 2020 that were registered up until 4 July 20201. Our data on pre-existing conditions does not include a place of death breakdown so data has been provided separately instead for deaths involving COVID-19 by place of death.

Table 1 below shows the number of deaths involving COVID-19 that did not have a pre-existing condition, and all deaths involving COVID-19, for persons aged under 60 years, occurring in England and Wales between 2 March and 30 June 2020. Table 2 shows the number of deaths involving COVID-19 by place of death, for persons of all ages, registered in England and Wales between 28 December 2019 and 25 September 2020.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

Table 1: Number of deaths involving coronavirus (COVID-19) that had no pre-existing conditions, and all deaths involving COVID-19, persons aged under 60 years, occurring between 2 March and 30 June 2020 and registered by 4 July, England and Wales[5][6][7][8]

Source: ONS

Table 2: Number of deaths involving coronavirus (COVID-19) by place of death, persons, all ages, registered between 28 December 2019 and 25 September 2020, England and Wales[9][10][11][12]

Source: ONS

[1]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsinvolvingcovid19englandandwales/deathsoccurringinjune2020

[2]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/articles/impactofregistrationdelaysonmortalitystatisticsinenglandandwales/2018

[3]https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/

[4]https://www.nisra.gov.uk/

[5]These figures represent death occurrences rather than death registrations.

[6]All figures for 2020 are provisional.

[7]Includes deaths where COVID-19 (ICD-10 codes U07.1 and U07.2) was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate including as the underlying cause of death.

[8]Includes deaths of non-residents.

[9]These figures represent death occurrences rather than death registrations.

[10]All figures for 2020 are provisional.

[11]Includes deaths where COVID-19 (ICD-10 codes U07.1 and U07.2) was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate including as the underlying cause of death.

[12]Includes deaths of non-residents.