Adverse reactions from Covid vaccines (FOI)

​​​Request

In June 2023 Professor Peter Bradley stated that there had been 839 adverse reactions including 12 deaths registered though self-reporting on the MHRA Yellow Card Scheme within the Channel Islands. Does the Government of Jersey have any update on the numbers of adverse reactions recorded from the Covid vaccine?

Has the Government of Jersey considered its stance on the Covid Injury to be able to address lessons learnt, clearly they are not in a position to attend the UK enquiry. How could the public of Jersey request their own independent enquiry?

Has the Government of Jersey considered that the way in which recording adverse reactions to any medical intervention could be revised given the lack of scrutiny on any adverse reactions and public confidence that any adverse reaction would be followed up?

What is the medical code assigned to adverse reactions to vaccines and adverse reactions to other medical interventions

Response

In a news article published in June 2023 regarding adverse reactions registered through the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) Yellow Card scheme within the Channel Islands, Professor Bradley stated that “the scheme only includes ‘possible’ reactions and that there had been no confirmed deaths from Covid jabs in the Channel Islands”. Please see the following link to the article:

Covid vaccination reassurance amid ‘self-reported’ adverse effects (jerseyeveningpost.com)

Potential side effects are reported by the MHRA. The COVID-19 vaccine reports contain a complete listing of all suspected adverse reactions that have been reported to the MHRA via the Yellow Card scheme, for all COVID-19 vaccines. This includes all reports received from healthcare professionals, members of the public, and pharmaceutical companies. The reports (including the number of reports of suspected adverse reactions) can be found via the link below: 

What is being reported | Making medicines and medical devices safer (mhra.gov.uk) 

Jersey uses, and has always used, the national MHRA yellow card system because it provides the best data source due to the large numbers involved and is a reliable source of any signals of adverse effects. The MHRA yellow card system records and publishes all events that may be associated with vaccines and medicines. National guidance and alerts are issued, based on yellow card adverse effects data, which Jersey officials then follow. The Chief Pharmacist or a delegate review the alerts, which are not regionally specific. 

The UK and Jersey are different jurisdictions which had separate approaches to the pandemic.  Jersey has already held an independent review into its response to COVID-19 and the final report can be found via the link below: 

Report of the Jersey Independent Covid-19 Review.pdf (gov.je)

There is no one code assigned to adverse reactions. Each event report may be assigned multiple codes, representing the symptoms described. Careful interpretation of the assigned codes is recommended.​