In 2021, Public Health Scotland faced scrutiny for a significant surge in neonatal deaths during the first month of life. Curiously, the organization declined to investigate a potential link to the Covid vaccine, citing concerns about potential harm to vaccine confidence.
Despite their reluctance, a persistent Scotsman, actively engaged on Twitter and Substack, pursued Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, unearthing alarming signals overlooked by Public Health Scotland.
During the vaccination period from March 2021 to May 2022, Scotland witnessed 35 additional neonatal deaths, coinciding precisely with the vaccination of pregnant women. The data revealed a stark contrast between expected and observed numbers, with 163 neonatal deaths against an anticipated 128, based on historical rates from 60,169 births.
Post-neonatal deaths, occurring in the first year of life from July 2021 onwards, also exhibited an unsettling trend. Out of 94,501 births, 131 deaths were recorded, surpassing the expected 101 based on historical rates. Combining neonatal and postnatal deaths, a total of 65 additional deaths occurred. With 45,098 doses of Covid vaccine administered during this period, the potential risk amounted to one death for every 690 doses.
Despite numerous FOI requests and involvement from the Information Commissioner's Office, data on the vaccine status of the mothers of the deceased infants remain elusive.
To validate the available data, cross-referencing was done with information from other sources. The National Records of Scotland (NRS) published deaths by registration date, allowing for a ballpark comparison. Pre-vaccination, mortality stood at 0.324%, rising to 0.376% post-vaccine, resulting in an extra 28 deaths annually or a baby dying every fortnight. Aged-standardized mortality rate data for deaths at age 0 demonstrated a rise from 316 to 376 per 100,000 births, aligning with FOI data on neonatal deaths.
Public Health Scotland's decision to halt the publication of Covid impact data, including a sudden cessation of cancer data in 2022 and another rise in neonatal deaths in July 2023, raised concerns.
In England, transparency in data was limited, but a comparison of death registrations in those aged 0 with birth data (from here and here) indicated a 27% rise in the mortality rate per birth in the first year of life.
While some Covid-related deaths were attributed to individuals with lower life expectancies, assuming average life expectancy, the 65 babies' deaths translated to more than 5,200 years of life lost for Scotland, emphasizing the ongoing impact and urgency for a thorough investigation.
