Misleading: 62 percent of COVID-19 deaths in the U.K. are among people who are vaccinated.

By: Pallavi Sethi
July 5 2021

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Although a small number of fully vaccinated people have died, the U.K's successful vaccination programme has prevented 27,000 deaths.The Daily Expose, a fake news website, often publishes disinformation purporting to be news "based on official data." The article notes that 62 percent of COVID-19 deaths in the U.K. are among people who are vaccinated. Although the website has used figures from a Public Health England (PHE) report, it fails to provide the full context of the deaths. On June 25, 2021, PHE published its latest technical report and highlighted that between February and June 2021, there were 92,029 confirmed Delta cases. Following the former Health Secretary Matt Hancock's resignation, which it said served as a distraction from the deaths, the Daily Expose made several claims regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. The website used data from the latest PHE report and said that of the 117 COVID-19 deaths from the Delta variant, 70 percent were people who were fully vaccinated, while 60 percent were partially vaccinated. Although the figures are correct, the website failed to provide vital context. A successful vaccination program does not imply that there will be zero COVID-19 deaths in the fully vaccinated. PHE has announced on several occasions that older people and those with a weakened immune system are more vulnerable than the average population to the virus. The PHE report highlights that all the deaths in people who received both doses were among those over the age of 50. Additionally, the report has explicitly mentioned that vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization was as high as 96 percent - an important detail left out by the fake news website. As of July 5, 2021, the U.K. has successfully administered two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to 50 percent of its population. The Independent reported that vaccines have successfully weakened the link between infections and hospitalizations. In fact, to highlight the success of the vaccine program, PHE published a modeling analysis that suggested the vaccination program has prevented over 7.9 million infections and 27,000 deaths in England alone. The Daily Expose has used actual data. However, by failing to provide context, the website is misleading the public by propagating dangerous COVID-19 disinformation. The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19, including symptoms, prevention, and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organization or your national healthcare authority.