Data was in high demand during the COVID-19 pandemic to understand the virus, how it was spreading, who was at risk, what were the best treatments and the safe rollout of new vaccines.

A UK-wide group of researchers coordinated by Health Data Research UK was at the centre of efforts to use NHS data for the whole population safely and securely.

By 2024, when I was working at Health Data Research UK, the researchers had completed the first study for all 67 million people in all four nations. Their results painted a picture of the COVID vaccinations and boosters that had been missed and the likely outcomes.

We discussed the topline for media work long and hard as a group. COVID was not so newsworthy by this point (no one wanted to talk about it any more) and clever use of data is rarely news by itself (more’s the pity). But we knew there was a story here with important public health messages if we could get it right.

We settled on a modelling calculation of how many hospitalisations and deaths could have been avoided during the summer of 2022 if everyone had received all vaccine doses. We packed in all the detail on the study and protections for patient data underneath. And were gratified to see it all picked up and reported accurately across UK media and beyond.