UK ‘failed its citizens' on COVID -19 by planning for wrong pandemic, report finds

By Mehmet Solmaz

BIRMINGHAM, England (AA) — A new report released on Thursday sharply criticized the UK government for its mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting a fundamental flaw in preparedness by focusing on influenza rather than a novel coronavirus.

This misguided planning, according to the independent COVID-19 Inquiry, resulted in severe consequences, including delayed responses, inadequate resources, and higher mortality rates.

“The UK prepared for the wrong pandemic. The significant risk of an influenza pandemic had long been considered, written about and planned for. However, that preparedness was inadequate for a global pandemic of the kind that struck.”

The report pointed out that pandemic strategies were narrowly designed for flu outbreaks, neglecting the specific demands of a coronavirus pandemic.

The assumption that the next pandemic would be an influenza virus meant that significant aspects of planning, resources, and training were misdirected, according to the report.

Among the key failings highlighted were the inadequate provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the slow implementation of lockdown measures.

The report further underscored the government's slow approach to social distancing and lockdowns in the early weeks of the pandemic was a major public health failure.

It stated that an earlier and more decisive lockdown could have saved lives by allowing more time for the development of vaccines and treatments.

“The UK government’s sole pandemic strategy, from 2011, was outdated and lacked adaptability. It was virtually abandoned on its first encounter with the pandemic. It focused on only one type of pandemic, failed adequately to consider prevention or proportionality of response, and paid insufficient attention to the economic and social consequences of pandemic response.”

The report also criticized the UK's early decision to abandon widespread community testing, which led to a lack of crucial data on the virus's spread and hindered effective decision-making.

Moreover, the inquiry found that vulnerable populations, particularly ethnic minorities and the elderly, were disproportionately affected. The report called for immediate measures to address these health inequalities and ensure better protection for all citizens in future health crises.

The inquiry recommended that the governments of the UK, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should each simplify and reduce the number of structures with responsibility for preparing for and building resilience to whole-system civil emergencies.

The report said an ideal structure should have a single Cabinet-level or equivalent ministerial committee responsible for whole-system civil emergency preparedness and resilience for each government, which meets regularly and is chaired by the leader or deputy leader of the relevant government.

The inquiry's recommendations include overhauling the UK's pandemic preparedness plans to consider a broader range of potential threats, enhancing public health infrastructure, and improving data sharing and communication strategies to prevent similar failings in the future.