With the fourth investigation of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry getting under way this week, a number of findings have already been identified, with key insight being provided by both experts and the public.
Now almost five years on from the World Health Organisation declaring the outbreak of Covid-19 as a pandemic, the inquiry has begun looking into the development and rollout of the vaccination programme across the United Kingdom.
One of the key findings from the opening day of the inquiry was that the rollout of the vaccine programme was one of the rare wins during the pandemic, however there were still some issues present. According to the UK Health Security Agency, around 123,000 deaths were prevented within the first nine months of the vaccine being in use, with the World Health Organisation claiming that the UK saw more deaths prevented through vaccination than in any other nation.
The issues that sprung up around the vaccination programme are to be assessed across the next three weeks, with the first of these being the unequal take-up of the jab across the UK population. Questions that are likely to be put forward by the inquiry will most likely relate to the spread of misinformation about the vaccine, a lack of trust in the government and other authorities, and what the government did to counter these challenges.
Whilst the next three weeks will see experts giving their accounts and insight, the inquiry has also published a new record that looks into the public’s experiences of the vaccine and other therapeutics during the pandemic. This is the second ‘Every Story Matters’ report, with tens of thousands of people from across the UK sharing their story with the inquiry, helping to provide more context to the investigation.
Some of the experiences that have been outlined in the report include:
- Feelings of relief that a vaccine was produced and distributed, allowing life to return to normal
- Concerns around the speed of development, with this bringing scepticism over benefits and risks
- People feeling that they weren’t given a choice about whether or not to get the vaccine, with social and work pressures playing a role
- Some individuals remaining glad that they didn’t get vaccinated, whilst others were glad that they did
- Some negative consequences of the vaccine, including injury or side-effects that may be ongoing
- Feelings that people’s concerns had not been addressed properly by experts, or the medical profession
Ben Connah, Secretary of the UK Covid Inquiry, commented on the ‘Every Story Matters’ report, saying:
“Every Story Matters is a vital part of the Inquiry. Its records ensure that all our work, and the Chair’s final conclusions, will be informed by people’s real-life experiences. We have always promised to be a UK-wide public inquiry - almost 9,500 conversations at our 22 public events right across the country are testament to that, as are the 53,000 stories submitted via the Every Story Matters website.
“Every Story Matters’ value lies in capturing the themes of all the experiences that have been shared with us, quoting people’s stories in their own words and, crucially, in ensuring people’s experiences are part of the Inquiry’s public record.”
The inquiry will be continuing further, with experts from across a number of organisations giving their accounts. Today’s sessions will hear from groups representing bereaved families. Tomorrow, former Health Secretary Matt Hancock will address the inquiry.
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