- The latest Covid-19 inquiry report warns that a lack of trust in government significantly contributed to misinformation and low vaccine uptake in some UK communities.
- Baroness Hallett, the inquiry chair, urged the government to urgently reform the vaccine injury payment scheme, recommending an increase in maximum payouts from £120,000 to at least £200,000 and scrapping the 60 per cent disability threshold.
- While praising the UK's vaccine rollout as an 'extraordinary feat' that saved hundreds of thousands of lives, the report criticised some decisions, such as mandatory care home staff vaccinations, as political rather than clinically led.
- The inquiry found that lower vaccine uptake in poorer and some ethnic minority communities was predictable and could have been better planned for, highlighting concerns over vaccine safety and side effects.
- The report calls for the government and health services to work with communities to rebuild trust, promote understanding of vaccines, and implement targeted strategies before the next pandemic.
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