THE Government failed British citizens and resigned thousands to die with its “significantly flawed” pandemic planning, the Covid Inquiry blasted in its first report today.
Chair of the inquiry Baroness Heather Hallett said the UK was “dangerously mistaken” in thinking it would be able to handle a disease outbreak.
AlamyAlmost a quarter of a million deaths have been linked to Covid since 2020. Pictured: A woman at the National Covid Memorial Wall in London[/caption]
YouTubeBaroness Heather Hallett, chair of the Covid-19 Inquiry, said: “This cannot be allowed to happen again.”[/caption]
It had spent years thinking about a flu epidemic but coronavirus emerged as a different beast.
The virus turned out to be more contagious, deadlier and also more likely to spread without symptoms.
Baroness Hallett said: “The UK prepared for the wrong pandemic.”
Nearly a quarter of a million people in Britain have died with Covid since it first emerged in early 2020.
Baroness Hallett said: “I have no hesitation in concluding that the processes, planning and policy across the United Kingdom failed the citizens of all four nations.
“There were serious errors on the part of the state and serious flaws in our civil emergency systems.
“This cannot be allowed to happen again.”
THE REPORT’S KEY CRITICISMS
THE first Covid Inquiry report runs to 240 pages but a quick summary of the UK’s main failures includes the following:
Too many institutions, procedures and documents were involved in emergency planning, making it over-complicated and weak
Risk assessment was not strong enough
A pandemic strategy was drawn up in 2011 but not updated, meaning it was not adaptable to Covid and was out of date
Emergency plans did not take into account people’s differences between rich and poor areas or different ethnicities and cultures
There was a failure to learn from past emergency planning exercises
Ministers were not expert enough and did not interrogate scientific or economic evidence
Government officials got stuck in “groupthink” because they did not have the freedom to express different opinions or debate ideas
The first report from the inquiry, published more than four years since the pandemic began, is titled “Resilience and Preparedness”.
It today gave a scathing account of how poor public health and a lack of focus in government left Britain dangerously exposed to coronavirus.
It is based on evidence from dozens of politicians, experts and government officials and is expected to be heavily critical.
The report lays out recommendations for how the UK can better prepare for the next epidemic.
The years leading up to today have been draining
Brenda Doherty
It is widely accepted that the government before 2020 focused too heavily on a flu pandemic in its disaster planning – and coronavirus turned out to be very different.
Worsening public health in the years leading up to the outbreak, with obesity and illnesses like type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure rising, also left Brits more at risk.
Brenda Doherty, of campaign group Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK, said: “The publication of the module one report marks a huge milestone for bereaved families like mine.
“We know that for lives to be saved in the future, lessons must be learnt from the mistakes of the past.
“Sadly, nobody knows the true cost of the government’s failure to prepare as we do.
“From campaigning to bring about an inquiry, to hearing revelation after revelation regarding the ways in which our loved ones were failed, the years leading up to today have been draining.”
Experts reckon another pandemic is almost certain to happen and planning should start now because it is a question of when, not if, it will be needed.
Professor Liam Smeeth, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: “The key lesson is that if the UK waits for the next pandemic to emerge, it will be too late.
“The fight against pandemics is like counter-terrorism, we must use similar approaches such as gathering and sharing the best intelligence on global disease threats and joining forces to confront outbreaks before they become pandemics.
“Lethal viruses take no notice of national borders and can strike anywhere at any time.”
THE REPORT’S RECOMMENDATIONS
A radical simplification of pandemic plans and “streamlining bureaucracy” to make clear and easy-to-use plans
A new method of risk assessment, giving serious consideration to a wider range of dangers
A UK-wide approach that regularly updates and learns from exercises and population changes
A greater focus on data collection, sharing and research
Hold a UK-wide pandemic simulation exercise at least once every three years, and publish the results
Bring in more external experts to prevent groupthink in the government
Publish regular reports outlining the country’s preparedness
Set up an independent statutory body, working with experts, to make sure the government’s plans are kept strong and up to date
