Covid Inquiry: What have we learnt so far?

The archetypal signifier of the Covid Inquiry has heard from its last witness.

In total, 69 politicians, civilian servants, scientists and different experts person been asked astir the UK's readying for a pandemic and the authorities of the healthcare strategy erstwhile Covid struck.

Baroness Hallett and her squad volition present constitute up their findings, with an interim study expected successful 2024.

Here are six questions which they mightiness effort to answer, based connected the past six weeks of grounds and testimony.

The enquiry heard that overmuch of the readying for a pandemic was based connected a 2011 document drawn up successful lawsuit determination was an outbreak of a new, much deadly signifier of influenza.

"This is truthful important - truthful galore consequences followed from that," helium said.

Typically, wellness authorities bash not effort to incorporate seasonal flu - alternatively relying connected antiviral drugs and the flu jab, which could beryllium adjusted to tackle a caller pandemic signifier of the virus.

Other witnesses, including Dame Jenny Harries, the main enforcement of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), appeared to contradict Mr Cameron, describing the government's flu program arsenic "actually beauteous good".

Matt Hancock, erstwhile wellness secretary, meanwhile, said the bigger, much damaging mistake was the wide presumption that Covid could not beryllium stopped oregon contained erstwhile it started to spread.

He said authorities were excessively narrowly focused connected readying for the fallout, specified arsenic "can we bargain capable assemblage bags?".

"That was wholly wrong," helium added.

Other countries managed much efficaciously to suppress the archetypal question of Covid than the UK, reducing the fig of deaths and - successful immoderate cases - avoiding strict lockdowns.

In those countries, faster contact-tracing and quarantine policies were subsequently deployed to promptly isolate cases and clamp down erstwhile Covid archetypal emerged.

In the UK, the civilian work had antecedently tally a mock-up grooming time - codenamed Exercise Alice - successful 2016, successful mentation for a large outbreak of the Mers virus.

But the enquiry heard galore of its recommendations, including proposal to standard up investigating capableness and analyse antithetic options for isolation, were not followed through.

Another large taxable was the spot - oregon resilience - of the healthcare strategy erstwhile Covid emerged successful 2020.

England's erstwhile main aesculapian officer, Dame Sally Davies, was heavy captious of the authorities of the NHS astatine the clip of the outbreak, saying it had been "divested" - with less doctors, nurses, beds and ventilators than akin countries.

Academics Sir Michael Marmot and Clare Bambra produced a report stating that poorer regions and taste number groups were disproportionally affected by a decennary of austerity policies, with the UK entering the pandemic with "depleted" nationalist services and rising inequality.

"If we had not had a wide program to enactment the nationalist finances connected a sustainable path, past Britain mightiness person experienced a fiscal situation [and] would not person had the fiscal abstraction to woody with coronavirus erstwhile it hit," helium argued.

From 2018, authorities departments were being asked to measurement up readying for a alleged 'no-deal Brexit', nether the codename Operation Yellowhammer.

According to documents seen by the inquiry, a fig of interior 'workstreams' successful the Department of Health related to pandemic readying were truthful paused, oregon slowed, arsenic unit were moved and different tasks prioritised.

That paused enactment included plans to amended hole the big societal attraction assemblage for a terrible influenza pandemic.

The Pandemic Flu Readiness Board, a cross-government assemblage made up of civilian servants from crossed Whitehall, did not conscionable for a full twelvemonth up to November 2019 due to the fact that their enactment was "reprioritised" to program for leaving the EU without a commercialized deal.

But Conservative furniture ministers Michael Gove and Oliver Dowden, some said that no-deal readying had accrued staffing, compelled departments to enactment much intimately unneurotic and secured proviso chains for aesculapian supplies.

Additionally, Matt Hancock claimed that enactment connected a no-deal exit was instrumental successful preventing the UK moving retired of immoderate intensive attraction drugs astatine the highest of the archetypal question of Covid.

Anna-Louise Marsh-Rees's father, Ian, contracted the microorganism portion being treated successful infirmary successful Abergavenny for a gall bladder infection.

Jane Morrison spoke astir the nonaccomplishment of her wife, Jacky, who died successful infirmary successful Dundee aft being admitted for different unrelated information - jaundice.

Groups representing bereaved household members said mediocre corruption power was a "glaring flaw" successful infirmary planning.

They besides described the handling of funerals - and however they were conducted during the pandemic - arsenic traumatic, with relatives often incapable to accidental a due goodbye to loved ones.

Witnesses described nationalist lockdowns arsenic the astir "extraordinary" argumentation of the pandemic.

The governmental decisions which led to nationwide lockdowns volition beryllium explored successful item during the inquiry's 2nd signifier successful October.

Already though, we cognize a strict lockdown - with wide schoolhouse and concern closures - was ne'er planned for successful advance.

Matt Hancock said determination was "no prep for however to bash one, nary enactment connected however champion to fastener down with the slightest damage".

The enquiry squad volition effort to reply wherefore - fixed it is the government's occupation to see these things - the longer word impacts of lockdown were not decently thought done earlier 2020.

Watch connected iPlayer: Jim Reed looks astatine the cardinal moments from the archetypal portion of the Covid inquiry.