Surge in Long-Term Sickness in UK Coincides With Rollout of COVID Shots
The number of people on long-term sick leave in the U.K. has risen by 700,000 since the spring of 2021, coinciding with the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, according to healthcare commentator John Campbell, Ph.D. Campbell questioned the government’s transparency and handling of the data on disability and deaths.
Stride, the U.K.’s secretary of state for Work and Pensions, questioned the accuracy of Bridgen’s statement, suggesting that the upward trajectory in long-term sickness numbers predated the vaccination rollout and was related to “mental health issues, muscle and skeletal issues.”
“I certainly do not subscribe to the view that vaccination is in any way unsafe,” Stride said.
Campbell expressed disbelief at how senior politicians could still claim that COVID-19 vaccines are safe. He criticized the “doubling down” on this stance, saying he “can’t imagine what’s going to happen” when the truth about the level of adverse reactions is finally revealed.
Campbell presented data from the U.K. Health Advisory and Recovery Team (HART) to support Bridgen’s claims.
HART is comprised of U.K. “doctors, scientists, economists, psychologists and other academic experts” who came together over shared concerns about pandemic policies.
HART’s graphs, based on the U.K.’s Office for National Statistics data, showed a dramatic increase in the number of people economically inactive due to long-term sickness, starting in February to April 2021 for women and April to June 2021 for men.
Source: Combined graphs from HART based on U.K. Office for National Statistics data.
According to HART, “The timing doesn’t fit long covid,” and is “coincidental with the rollout of the covid vaccines to the working aged population. Other changes in public health that may have caused this rise are hard to fathom.”
Campbell acknowledged that mental health issues and musculoskeletal injuries are common causes of long-term sickness. However, he admitted the timing of the increase suggests a potential correlation with the vaccine rollout.
The HART document also referenced similar findings in U.S. disability trends.
‘Fair to say we have an epidemic of heart failure’
Campbell criticized a decision by the U.K.’s Office for Health Improvements and Disparities (OHID) to stop reporting causes of death in the country for 2024.
He also noted that the Office for National Statistics changed the way it monitors excess deaths, which dramatically reduced the apparent excess deaths throughout 2023 but “made no difference at all … to the amount of people that died and the grieving relatives,” Campbell said.
He noted, however, that under the new system, it “doesn’t look as bad on the government now, presumably.”
Campbell questioned the government’s lack of transparency and the reasons behind not wanting to monitor why people are dying.
He presented data from the OHID showing excess mortality in England across various age groups. The data revealed increased deaths in the 0-24 age group starting in 2021 and continuing through 2022 and 2023, with the vast majority of these deaths in the latter two years being unrelated to COVID-19.
Similar patterns of excess deaths were observed in the 25-49, 50-64, 65-74, 75-84 and 85+ age groups. Campbell expressed frustration at the lack of more detailed age group data, such as separate categories for ages 0-12 and 12-24.
Campbell presented data showing changes in the causes of death in England since 2021. The data revealed notable increases in deaths from ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease and heart failure.
“I think it’s fair to say we have an epidemic of heart failure,” he said.
In contrast, deaths from other respiratory diseases decreased, which Campbell found “rather hard to explain.”
While deaths from Alzheimer’s disease were slightly down — likely due to the increased overall mortality — deaths from cirrhosis of the liver showed a “huge increase,” he said.
“It’s a scarred, fibrosed liver with fibrous scar tissue in it, and it’s the end result of any chronic inflammatory disease.”
‘Enough to make you suspicious’
Campbell expressed frustration with the government’s handling of the excess deaths and long-term sickness data.
“From this official government site [OHID], this time next year, we’re not going to know any more than we know at the end of December 2023,” Campbell said.
He also criticized Stride’s response to Bridgen’s questions in Parliament. “Ministers still completely denying there’s any problem, and … getting it wrong, or at least giving very incomplete answers, and it’s enough to make you suspicious.”
Campbell said the evidence presented in the video suggests there are “questions to be answered” and wondered, “How long can the government go on denying this problem?”
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