Covid-19

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The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK

Official government statistics show that almost 200,000 people in England have died with Covid-19 on their death certificate and the UK has the 20th highest Covid fatality rate in the world, according to the last (March 2023) figures published by the US John Hopkins university. Trade unions have been very critical of the UK government’s response to the crisis and the TUC is coordinating their submission of evidence to the ongoing Covid-19 public inquiry.

The UK Covid-19 Inquiry is examining the UK’s response to and impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in order to learn lessons for the future. Baroness Heather Hallett, a former Court of Appeal judge, is chair. The inquiry is split into six modules examining:

• resilience and preparedness;

• core uk decision-making and political governance;

• the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on healthcare systems in the four nations of the UK. A separate inquiry is taking place in Scotland, which will evaluate areas where policy is devolved to the Scottish government;

• vaccines and therapeutics;

• government procurement; and

• the care sector.

The inquiry website is: https://covid19.public-inquiry.uk/.