By: Rajini KG
April 24 2023
No, the BBC has not admitted that the COVID-19 vaccines caused excess deaths in 2022 in the U.K.
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Fact-Check
The Verdict False
A BBC News report on excess deaths in 2022 in the U.K. has been misinterpreted and falsely linked to the COVID-19 vaccine.
Claim ID 5e2a1ca2
Context
Recent Facebook posts have claimed that the BBC reported that the COVID-19 vaccine has caused excess deaths in the U.K. in the year 2022. A Facebook user shared a screengrab of a BBC article with the headline "BBC News Finally Admits COVID Vaccines Caused 'Excess Deaths' in 2022" and added the caption: "So now they've admitted genocide. What now?!" The screengrab shows that the purported article was published on April 13, 2023, and the article text seen in the screengrab states that England and Wales saw a high number of deaths compared to other countries in 2022.
However, the claim is false. There is no evidence to corroborate that the BBC ever published a report that COVID-19 vaccines caused excess deaths among the vaccinated population in the U.K.
In Fact
Logically Facts examined the viral screengrab and found that the article does not have an author name in the byline. We also found that the same content was published on a non-credible website called The People's Voice. This particular website publishes conspiracy theories and misinformation regarding COVID-19 pandemic, WEF, and the Great Reset agenda. The article has also cited the website The Expose to back the claim that the BBC has admitted that the COVID-19 jab caused excess deaths in the U.K. The Expose is known for spreading conspiracies and fake news relating to COVID-19 and anti-vaccine misinformation.
The headline of The Expose article cited in the report states: “BBC News caught spreading disinformation which accidentally confirms COVID vaccination is, in fact, to blame for excess deaths in 2022 being the highest in 50 years.” The Expose cited a BBC News article from January 10, 2023, which analyzed deaths recorded in the year 2022. It claimed that the BBC had "lied" in its report.
Logically Facts went through the BBC News article, headlined, “Excess deaths in 2022 among worst in 50 years.” According to the BBC, in the U.K., more than 650,000 fatalities were recorded in 2022, up 9 percent from 2019. According to data, demands on the NHS and the consequences of pandemics on health are among the most prominent causes. Deaths after COVID-19 infection and heart problems were among the many contributing variables, not the primary cause of excess deaths. Additionally, it noted that data from June 2022 demonstrates that people who do not receive vaccinations have a higher mortality rate than those who do. The report stated that one of the causes could be the ongoing COVID-19 infection or pressure on the healthcare system owing to increased demand. More importantly, it adds that the vaccine has no impact on the reports of excess mortality in the U.K.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) data on deaths that occurred between April 1, 2021, to December 31, 2022, shows that since September 2021, those who received at least a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, often known as a booster, have had a lower COVID-19 mortality rate than those who have not had the vaccine in England. The report also mentioned that mortality rates are lower in people vaccinated with a third dose or booster compared to the first and second.
According to the U.K. Health Security Agency report published on December 1, 2022, vaccines have shown high protection against mortality by COVID-19. The U.K. health report adds that the vaccine offered effectiveness of 50 percent followed by a second dose and effectiveness could reach up to 80-85 percent following the third dose.
Logically Facts has reached out to the BBC for clarification and will update this article upon receiving a response.
Excess deaths may be caused by different factors like the healthcare crisis, the lasting effects of COVID-19, other illnesses, hereditary diseases, the emergence of new diseases, and changes in population demographics, among other issues. There is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines are the main cause of excess deaths in the U.K.
The Verdict
A BBC News article on excess deaths reported in the U.K. in 2022 has been misinterpreted to claim that the BBC has admitted that COVID-19 vaccines are causing high numbers of deaths in the U.K. There is no evidence to support that COVID-19 vaccines are the main cause of excess deaths in the U.K. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.
