Inquiry Finds Britain was Ill-Prepared for COVID-19 Pandemic and Failed Its Citizens; Covid Victims Not Surprised by Inquiry Findings, and other C-Virus related stories

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Inquiry finds Britain was ill-prepared for COVID-19 pandemic and failed its citizens:

The UK government was ill-prepared for the COVID-19 pandemic and serious errors in planning failed its citizens, an inquiry found Thursday.

Retired judge Heather Hallett, who is leading the ongoing inquiry, said the government wrongly believed in 2019 that it was one of the best-prepared countries in the world for an outbreak and it anticipated the wrong pandemic — influenza.

“This belief was dangerously mistaken,” Hallett said in releasing her first report. “In reality, the UK was ill-prepared for dealing with the whole-system civil emergency of a pandemic, let alone the coronavirus pandemic that actually struck.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has been blamed for more than 235,000 deaths in the UK through the end of 2023 — one of the highest death tolls in the world.

“Today’s report confirms what many have always believed — that the UK was under-prepared for COVID-19, and that process, planning and policy across all four nations failed UK citizens,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, referring to England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

“The safety and security of the country should always be the first priority, and this government is committed to learning the lessons from the inquiry and putting better measures in place to protect and prepare us from the impact of any future pandemic," he said.

The first report from the inquiry, based on hearings that began in June 2023, was focused only on pandemic preparedness and didn't place blame on any individual.--->READ MORE HERE

Gisella Casciello-Rogers

Covid victims not surprised by inquiry findings:

People from the South East who were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic have said they are not surprised by the initial findings of the inquiry into how it was handled.

On Thursday the report said there were more deaths than there should have been because of a lack of preparation.

Gisella Casciello-Rogers from Hove, East Sussex, lost her 95-year-old father Guiseppe to Covid, when he contracted it in his care home.

She said: "I just feel really sad, not just for myself but for thousands and thousands of people that were affected."

She said watching television reports about the inquiry's findings made for unpleasant viewing for her.

"At the time I did everything I could to let it be known that these people were not being looked after and protected in the way that they should have been.

"It's hard to watch something like that on TV five years later. We're justified in what we felt." --->READ MORE HERE

Follow links below to relevant/related stories and resources:

What is the COVID inquiry and who does the report blame for failings?

Revealed: The coronavirus outbreak plan ignored by the government during the pandemic

USA TODAY: Coronavirus Updates

WSJ: Coronavirus Live Updates

YAHOO NEWS: Coronavirus Live Updates

NEW YORK POST: Coronavirus The Latest

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