Covid Child Mortality

[Warhertisuff]

A horrible topic I know, but one which parents have a right to be informed accurately about.

I've read that over 100 children have now died of Covid in the U.K. However, that doesn't seem to square with the stats I can find. The ONS data below suggests that there have been 14 deaths of children under 14 since February, and 4 school aged children under 14 since the start of autumn term. I appreciate the pandemic has been here since before last February but even so.... especially since infections in schools have only really skyrocketed
since summer half term and through into this term.

Obviously all child deaths are tragic, but in order to determine our response, we need to know whether deaths are as prevalent as other diseases such as meningitis or other causes such as traffic accidents, or whether we are talking another level of magnitude.

www.ons.gov.uk/visualisations/dvc1470/age/wrapper/datadownload.xlsx

I read 20% of people in intensive care are pregnant women. I wonder what happens to the babies and if/how it's recorded in terms of death or severe outcomes?

Why do you feel the need to do this, @Warhertisuff? Covid mortality is but one aspect of the virus. 'Long Covid' is another, often overlooked in children. There is much not yet known about the long-term effects of this novel virus. I'm baffled as to why you constantly seek to minimise it.

The Covid situation in the UK is a total mess and the situation in schools is not OK.

The statistical likelihood of any individual child dying is extremely small. The chance of many children being harmed by Covid is unacceptably and unnecessarily high. The government's choices have harmed many children.

I think the discrepancy is because the 100 figure is with positive test not from Covid

Registered will be different

I always see covid statistics split 10-14 and 15-19, obviously not all of the 15-19 age group are children. So is that the reason for discrepancy, some talk about under 20’s and some children?

I would also like to know. I don't know why anyone wouldn't want to know.

Accurate figures would help stop the scaremongering.

There are people who like to post alarming figures to back up their anti- government/vax rhetoric which don't stack up against official figures and are just designed to scare people.

It is a horrible topic but it’s vitally important to know with accuracy, what the mortality rate really is. We need to be able to compare the risks of having Covid with the risks associated the vaccine.

Why are you only counting 13 and under as a child?

@noblegiraffe

Why are you only counting 13 and under as a child?

I guess because the ONS death bands are 1-14 then 15-24 -which is the issue, imo. Cases and admissions have narrower age bands so you can get a more accurate picture, but the death bands don't allow you to differentiate between children and young adults.

Sorry, admissions use the same banding, but the point still stands that it's difficult to get an accurate figure on child mortality when the banding is so broad.

Where does the 100 figure come from?

I’ve seen it on here but useful to know source

Between August 2nd 2021 and October 17th 2021 there were 20 child covid deaths registered with covid on the death certificate (NOT just after a positive pcr as some posters will rush to minimise it - this is not children who were hit by a bus but tested positive then died. This is children who died as a direct result of covid.)

Can we not be ghouls by attempting to minimise that?

static.ons.gov.uk/datasets/0e41ac1f-2e54-4f37-a78c-56ad1ea731e1/weekly-deaths-age-sex-covid-19-v54-filtered-2021-10-28T14-26-49Z.xlsx

So you are only counting a subset of children (under 14s) over part of the pandemic (since Feb) and you wonder why the figures dont add up? OK then, that sounds like a genuine concern.

@MarshaBradyo

Where does the 100 figure come from?

I’ve seen it on here but useful to know source

By my count, 67 people aged 25 or under have died since w/e 12th feb, based on the spreadsheet linked in the OP, so its not a stretch to say it would be around 100 for a year considering Dec and Jan figures would be included when the 2nd wave peaked?

It is important as it would stop scaremongering.

In addition, studies have shown that long Covid is rare in children.

Notwithstanding the hysteria on this, especially on here.

@Porcupineintherough

So you are only counting a subset of children (under 14s) over part of the pandemic (since Feb) and you wonder why the figures dont add up? OK then, that sounds like a genuine concern.

Not sure why you're having a go at the OP for presenting the figures as they are listed on the ONS spreadsheet?

Is it having a go to point out that using partial data wont give a full answer?

@WouldBeGood Why do you think the ONS figures in my post above are “scaremongering”?

Or did you not read the link as it was more important to you to be insulting and dismissive?

@Porcupineintherough

Is it having a go to point out that using partial data wont give a full answer?

Its having a go when you say things like "ok then, that sounds like a genuine concern"

They are using the data as presented by the ONS, which is the whole issue - it provides partial data on child mortality so its difficult to get the full picture.

@BewareTheLibrarians never mentioned you, nor thought of you.

There is a huge amount of scaremongering about deaths of children from Covid that is simply not justified

There’s a lot of heightened provoking stuff on here atm so I find it useful to see data in op

Under 14?

What about 15-18 year olds.

In my mind these are kids too.

I didn’t say you’d mentioned me specifically - your use of “scaremongering” and “hysteria” (despite apparently not looking at the data) is insulting and dismissive to the families going through this and the posters that dare to have the temerity to post about it.

But back to the stats I posted - 20 children’s registered deaths in 6 weeks by ONS stats is… scaremongering. Right.

As someone posted upthread, knowing the correct stats is essential for decisions re vaccine and knowing if mitigations such as improved ventilation would be necessary in schools.

Being informed is not being “hysterical”.

Burying your head in the sand and lashing out at numbers is not helpful.

@Brindle88

Under 14?

What about 15-18 year olds.

In my mind these are kids too.

Thats the whole point. The data is not available for under 18 only. Its split 1-14 then 15-24.