I would like to request information regarding strokes in Wales from pre-COVID to the present:
The number of strokes in Wales year-on-year since 2015.
Whether the number of strokes has increased since the onset of COVID-19 and the administration of COVID vaccines (from February 2020).
The number of people who have suffered a stroke since February 2020 who have also received the AstraZeneca vaccine (I understand this part of the request may be difficult to fulfil, but I would greatly appreciate any available information)
Thank you for your recent request.
The below response has been provided by the NHS Executive who are a hosted body in Public Health Wales.
Please see below number of strokes per year since 2025 to 2023
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*Please note that some sites did not record strokes in April and May 2020 due to reduced reporting due to Covid19.
There is no increase of stroke that can be attributed to any single cause. However, the annual forecasted trajectory of numbers of strokes should be increasing at a faster rate than we are seeing in Wales (due to lifestyle, obesity, age etc).
Public Health Wales (and the NHS Executive) do not hold information relating to the number of people who have suffered a stroke since February 2020 who have also received the AstraZeneca vaccine.
If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your request and wish to make a complaint or request a review of the decision, you should write to the Corporate Complaints Manager, Public Health Wales NHS Trust, 3, Number 2, Capital Quarter, Tyndall Street, Cardiff, CF10 4BZ.
If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint or review, you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaints procedure provided by the Trust. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner for Wales
2nd Floor
Churchill House
Churchill Way
Cardiff
CF10 2HH
Telephone: 029 2067 8400
Email: wales@ico.org.uk