Deaths involving COVID-19 by vaccination status, England: deaths occurring between 1 April 2021 and 31 December 2022
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Main points
Monthly age-standardised mortality rates (ASMRs) for deaths involving coronavirus (COVID-19) have been consistently lower for all months since booster introduction in September 2021 for people who had received at least a third dose or booster at least 21 days ago, compared with unvaccinated people and those with just a first or second dose.
The ASMRs for first and second vaccine doses have been similar to those for unvaccinated people from March to December 2022; however, the confidence limits are wide for these groups because of lower populations in these vaccination statuses.
The ASMRs are not equivalent to measures of vaccine effectiveness; they account for differences in age structure and population size, but there may be other differences between the groups (particularly underlying health) that affect mortality rates.
People who have received at least a third dose or booster may have subsequently received further booster doses, however this is not recorded in our data.
Non-COVID-19 mortality rates for people who have had at least a third dose or booster at least 21 days ago have been broadly consistent and more similar to those for the unvaccinated population in the latter half of 2022 than in earlier months; in younger people, the boosters were initially targeted at people who were clinically extremely vulnerable, hence why younger people who had received boosters initially had higher non-COVID-19 mortality rates.
A high proportion of the general population has received three doses, therefore non-COVID-19 mortality rates are similar, though slightly lower, in people who have had at least a third dose or booster compared with unvaccinated people in the latter half of 2022.
Non-COVID-19 mortality rates for first and second doses are more likely to be affected by confounding factors in the latter half of 2022, as these are people who did not receive a booster when eligible and therefore may differ from the general population."
