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An damning independent inquiry concerning the UK's management of the coronavirus situation has concluded which the response were "insufficient and delayed," noting that implementing confinement measures just seven days earlier could have saved over 23,000 deaths.

Key Findings from the Report

Documented in over seven hundred and fifty sections across two volumes, the conclusions portray an unmistakable picture of delay, lack of action and an evident failure to understand lessons.

The account concerning the start of the coronavirus in early 2020 has been described as notably harsh, labeling February as being "a wasted month."

Ministerial Failures Emphasized

• The report questions the reasons why Boris Johnson failed to chair one gathering of the Cobra response team in that period.
• Measures to the pandemic effectively paused during the mid-term vacation.
• By the second week in March, the situation had become "nearly catastrophic," with no proper strategy, a lack of testing and therefore no clear picture regarding the extent to which Covid had spread.

Potential Impact

While admitting that the choice to implement restrictions had been historic as well as hugely difficult, taking other action to curb the transmission of coronavirus sooner would have allowed such measures might have been avoided, or have been shorter.

When confinement was necessary, the report stated, if implemented imposed a week earlier, modelling showed this would have lowered the number of lives lost within England in the first wave of the pandemic by almost half, which equals over 20,000 fatalities avoided.

The inability to understand the extent of the threat, and the need for action it necessitated, led to that once the chance of compulsory confinement was first discussed it proved belated and such measures were necessary.

Ongoing Failures

The inquiry also highlighted how many similar failures – reacting belatedly and downplaying the pace and impact of the virus's transmission – occurred again later in 2020, when controls were lifted and then late reintroduced in the face of contagious new strains.

It describes this "inexcusable," stating how those in charge did not to learn lessons over successive waves.

Overall Toll

The UK endured among the worst pandemic epidemics within Europe, with about 240 thousand Covid-related lives lost.

The inquiry is the second by the national investigation into each part of the management and handling to Covid, which was launched two years ago and is expected to proceed through 2027.