Office for National Statistics:Improving disability data to understand the effects of coronavirus (COVID-19) on people with different impairment types

An overview of the strategies explored in an examination of administrative health data to provide more detail on the effects of coronavirus (COVID-19) on disabled people by impairment type.

Disability data and coronavirus overview

Throughout the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has produced a range of publications, including Estimates of Coronavirus (COVID-19) related deaths by disability status and analysis of vaccination rates, which document the outcomes of disabled people by drawing on linked data from the ONS’ Public Health Data Asset (PHDA).

While those releases have been playing an essential part in delivering data on the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, they lack estimates for disabled people who experience different impairment types, as these indicators are not readily available within the PHDA.

The ONS has been commissioned by the Cabinet Office Disability Unit (CODU) to improve the data on disability during the coronavirus pandemic. This will enable future analysis on whether people with different impairment types were differently affected by the coronavirus pandemic and will show how exposure and outcomes may vary. Providing higher resolution insights will lead to inclusive statistics that reflect the variety within groups. These improvements to disability data across government are recommended by the Inclusive Data Task Force.

This article describes the feasibility of strategies examined based on administrative data to increase the insights into the impact of COVID-19 on disabled people with different impairment types.

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopula...peoplewithdifferentimpairmenttypes/2022-06-07