Rollout of Covid vaccines extraordinary feat - inquiry report

Rollout of Covid vaccines extraordinary feat - inquiry reportImage source, ReutersByNick TriggleHealth correspondentPublished16 April 2026The rollout of Covid vaccines – the largest immunisation programme in UK history - was an "extraordinary feat", the Covid inquiry said.The fourth report from the inquiry praised the speed in which jabs were developed and deployed – 132 million were given in 2021 - alongside how the UK discovered which treatments worked best against the virus.The positive headlines contrast with the first three reports that were highly critical of the government's pandemic planning, decision-making and management of the NHS.But the report said more needed to be done to address vaccine hesitancy and those harmed by the Covid jabs should have easier access to bigger payouts.Key findings from Covid inquiry report on vaccinesPublished16 AprilLife-saving actionsInquiry chair Baroness Hallett praised the vaccine programme, pointing to research which suggested it saved more than 475,000 lives after more than 90% of people aged over 12 came forward for a jab.She said this was one of two great success stories of the pandemic - the other being the use of a cheap and a readily-available steroid drug called dexamethasone to prevent fatal lung damage.But she said while most people took up the offer of vaccination, there was lower uptake within communities in areas of higher deprivation and in some ethnic minority communities."Governments and health services must work with communities to rebuild trust and promote a better understanding of, and confidence in, vaccines," she said. Spread of false information online and lack of trust in authority, combined with how quickly the vaccines had been developed, were contributory factors, said the report. Communication about benefits and risks must be better in the future, it said.Uptake of childhood vaccinations that had nothing to do with Covid has fallen since the pandemic - a lasting legacy. M...