The UK’s pandemic planning, marred by significant flaws, has been slammed in the first report of the Covid Inquiry. This scathing 217-page document reveals that poor preparations led to unnecessary deaths and economic turmoil. The report states that the UK government and devolved nations “failed their citizens,” planning for the wrong type of pandemic—a mild one where virus spread was inevitable—resulting in the use of untested lockdowns. Groupthink among scientists and a lack of challenge from ministers were key issues.
TOP BREAKING news story in the UK today from @covidinquiryuk from the @BBCNews is “Government failed its citizens on Covid.” and we today hear from @BBCHughPym
Come on Hugh. You could say sorry. You failed us too – and so did every journalist at the BBC. Your job was to hold… pic.twitter.com/B1E8WVJ9Dh
— Anna Brees (@BreesAnna) July 18, 2024
Additionally, the report highlights the UK’s lack of resilience due to high rates of ill-health and overstretched public services. By the end of 2023, Covid had claimed 235,000 lives in the UK. This initial report is part of a series that will scrutinize various facets of the pandemic response, from political decision-making to vaccine deployment.
Baroness Hallett, chair of the inquiry, declared the UK was “ill-prepared for a catastrophic emergency, let alone the coronavirus pandemic.” She stressed that such failures must never be repeated. Her recommendations include:
- Removing pandemic planning from the Department of Health and Social Care, assigning it instead to a new ministerial-level body in each nation, chaired by the leader or deputy leader.
- Establishing an independent body to advise on civil emergencies, incorporating socio-economic and scientific expertise.
- Conducting three-yearly pandemic response exercises to stress-test existing plans.
Baroness Hallett emphasized the urgency of implementing these recommendations swiftly, within six months to a year, warning that another pandemic is not a matter of if, but when.
The families of Covid victims have welcomed the report. Prof Naomi Fulop, spokesperson for the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group, praised the report as “hard-hitting and clear-sighted,” urging the government to adopt its recommendations. However, she criticized the inquiry for not addressing societal inequalities and the state of public services, which hampered the UK’s response.
The UK’s citizens were ‘failed’ by their governments’ processes, planning and policy ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic, a public inquiry has concluded
— Simon Gosden. Esq. #fbpe 3.5% 🇪🇺🐟🇬🇧🏴☠️🦠💙 (@g_gosden) July 18, 2024
Kazeema Afzal, who lost her sister Areema Nasreen, one of the youngest NHS workers to die from Covid, expressed her frustration, stating, “They failed everyone.” She highlighted the lack of preparedness among healthcare workers and the impact on families and the NHS.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer extended his sympathies to those who lost loved ones, acknowledging the report’s findings on the UK’s under-preparedness. He pledged that the government would learn from these lessons to ensure better protection and preparation for future pandemics.
The report contrasts the UK’s approach with that of East Asian countries, which had plans for rapidly ramping up test-and-trace systems and established quarantine processes due to their experiences with Sars and Mers. These measures significantly slowed the spread of Covid, minimizing the need for lockdowns.
The UK’s pandemic strategy, based on the assumption that the spread of a new virus was inevitable, was outdated. The report criticized the government’s complacency following the mild swine flu pandemic of 2011, which led to a false sense of security. The UK needs to be prepared to scale up test-and-trace systems and NHS capacity, as well as protect vulnerable populations.
Cathy Newman, “The UK government, devolved administrations and civil servants failed their citizens. That was the damning verdict of the chair of the covid inquiry today”
“She pointed to authorities preparing for the wrong thing, and resources being diverted by Brexit”
So its… pic.twitter.com/Wu2IHvPIID
— Farrukh (@implausibleblog) July 18, 2024
The report also highlights the detrimental effects of groupthink in pandemic planning. The scientific advice was too narrowly focused, with insufficient consideration of socio-economic impacts. Ministers failed to challenge the advice adequately, and advisory groups lacked the autonomy for dissenting voices to be heard. The creation of an independent body drawing from science, economics, and society is recommended to prevent similar failings in the future.
Major Points:
- UK Covid Inquiry’s first report reveals significant flaws in pandemic planning, causing unnecessary deaths and economic costs.
- Report criticizes groupthink among scientists and insufficient challenge from ministers.
- Recommendations include new independent advisory body and regular pandemic response exercises.
- Families of Covid victims welcome the report but call for addressing societal inequalities and public service conditions.
- Prime Minister acknowledges under-preparedness and vows to implement better measures for future pandemics.
TL Holcomb – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News
