Adverse events from the COVID-19 vaccines (FOI)

Request 679105562

​I am writing to submit a Freedom of Information (FOI) request concerning any communication provided to government ministers, including the Head of Health, Peter Bradley, regarding the split of adverse events from the COVID-19 vaccines between 2020 and 2024 for both Jersey and Guernsey.

Specifically, I am seeking the following:

1. Any communication, including emails, memos, or reports, sent to or from government ministers, including the Head of Health, Peter Bradley, concerning FOI requests 2024/00527 & 2024/00624 regarding the adverse events from COVID-19 vaccines for the periods of 2020 to 2024 in Jersey and Guernsey.

2. Any correspondence, including email chains, where this data was considered or discussed in relation to the adverse events from the COVID-19 vaccines.

3. I would like a copy of the FOI requests 2024/00527 & 2024/00624 which may have been received.

4. Explain what system triggers are in place to identify potential issues with any medical interventions locally. Specifically, I am interested in understanding whether there are mechanisms for tracking trends in adverse events within Jersey? 

Response

1 to 3

Correspondence has been reviewed, and information in scope of this request has been prepared for disclosure. Duplicate emails have been removed and correspondence has been redacted in consideration of Freedom of Information legislation.

Correspondence Pack_Redacted.PDF

​Much of the correspondence relating to the referenced Freedom of Information requests, including the original responses from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) which were shared with the Director of Public Health, Peter Bradley, and the Minister for Health and Social Services by the applicant, have been provided in a Freedom of Information request published to www.gov.je in March 2025:

gov.je/government/freedomofinformation/pages/foi.aspx?ReportID=8343​

Where correspondence or attachments are available elsewhere, Article 23 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied.

Personal information of individuals, including Government of Jersey employees below Tier 2, is exempt from disclosure under Article 25 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011. Redactions based on this exemption are shown in yellow.

4

The question seeks an explanation of system triggers. Freedom of Information is a mechanism to enable access to information held in recorded form by a Scheduled Public Authority, rather than to pose questions requiring comment or explanation.

Previous Freedom of Information responses published to www.gov.je include information on the use of the national MHRA Yellow Card scheme to report concerns with medical devices or adverse drug reactions (including suspected adverse reactions), and the Electronic Prescribing Medicines Administration (EPMA) system’s capabilities to identify drug interactions, as well as the recording of allergies and adverse reactions to drugs. Links are provided below, and Article 23 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied in respect of the information available elsewhere.

gov.je/government/freedomofinformation/pages/foi.aspx?ReportID=7094

gov.je/government/freedomofinformation/pages/foi.aspx?ReportID=7788

gov.je/government/freedomofinformation/pages/foi.aspx?ReportID=5170

Quality and Safety indicators and performance measures are reported in the Health and Care Jersey Quality and Performance Reports, the Health and Care Jersey Advisory Board papers, and the Health and Care Jersey Quality Accounts (produced annually), linked below:

Health and Care Jersey Quality and Performance Reports

Health and Care Jersey Services Board

Health and Community Services Quality Account 2023​

Articles applied

Article 23 - Information accessible to applicant by other means

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it is reasonably available to the applicant, otherwise than under this Law, whether or not free of charge.

(2) A scheduled public authority that refuses an application for information on this ground must make reasonable efforts to inform the applicant where the applicant may obtain the information.

Article 25 - Personal information

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018.

(2) Information is absolutely exempt information if –

(a) it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is not the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018; and

(b) its supply to a member of the public would contravene any of the data protection principles, as defined in that Law.​