As the @covidinquiryuk Test, Trace, and Isolate Module comes to a close today, here is a look at some of the shocking evidence we have heard so far.

A Thread

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1/12 According to expert Professor Anthony Costello, 180,000 lives could have been saved with a fully functioning Test, Trace & Isolate system.

2/12

At the @covidinquiryuk, our lawyers laid out in shocking detail the extent to which those in power used their connections to profit from the pandemic, in the process costing lives.

(an important thread) Half of all PPE Procured by the Government came through the VIP-Lane, and 50% of that was ‘not fit for purpose’. The Government spend £1.9 billion on PPE that was not fit for purpose in total.

Yesterday the @covidinquiryuk concluded its investigation into the impact of the pandemic on healthcare systems in the UK.

From the early stages of the pandemic we knew that our healthcare systems were failing.

1.8 We knew that because we could see how our loved ones, and the healthcare workers doing all they could to help them, were being failed.
That’s why we are immensely proud to have campaigned to bring the truth of what happened to our healthcare systems to light via the Inquiry.

2.8

Today the Covid 19 Inquiry heard that at least one NHS trust implemented a blanket Do Not Attempt Resuscitation Order during the pandemic.
That means patients were considered ineligible for resuscitation on the basis of age or disability, without being individually assessed.

1/6 Population Triage is irrefutable evidence that the NHS was overwhelmed. Recognising this is crucial to adequately preparing for the next pandemic. 

2/6

At a hearing today, the Chair of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry Baroness Hallett confirmed that bereaved families are to be excluded from Module 8, examining the impact of the pandemic on children and young people. Matt Fowler, co-founder of the group, says: “The experiences of our members are vast. Within our group we have young children with PTSD who freeze at the sight of an ambulance or who are scared to go near a hospital because they associate it with death.

The scenes in ITV’s ‘Breathtaking’ happened because of government inaction, arrogance and negligence. It wasn’t inevitable; adequate PPE and testing, a swifter lockdown and properly funded services would have saved thousands of lives.

(1/4) It is crucial that the experiences of the bereaved, of doctors and key workers depicted in ‘Breathtaking’ are also heard at the UK Covid 19 Inquiry. Those in power must know the impact of their failures.

(2/4)

It was very frustrating to watch the inquiry let Matt Hancock, who over saw the UK having one of the highest death tolls in the world from Covid-19 before resigning for breaking his own lockdown rules, get away with lie after lie today.

1/7 For example he claimed that in late March ‘societal opinion’ was against interventions, when in fact many care homes had already ‘locked down’ at that point, and many of our members were already doing everything they could to protect their loved ones who might be vulnerable.

2/7

Today was another day of horrific evidence making clear that Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak made catastrophic decisions that led to the unnecessary loss of countless lives, crippled the NHS and plunged the country into even longer lockdowns.

1/7 We learned that when Boris Johnson should have been preparing the country for Covid, he was instead insisting “this will be fine”.

2/7

The evidence from the Covid Inquiry is worse than what bereaved families feared was happening at the time.

Back then, we were often criticised for being “unfair” on the Government when we raised our concerns.

It’s clear now we weren’t being anywhere near critical enough.

1/6 In March 2020, when I was panicking about the reports coming out of Italy and how best to protect my family if Covid-19 struck the UK, Boris Johnson was “laughing at the Italians” and joking that “we were going to be great (at Covid-19)”.

2/6

I feel like I’ve been punched in the stomach after reading Boris Johnson’s messages this morning.

They are psychotic.

1/6

https://twitter.com/Steven_Swinford/status/1719325050115965243

During the first and second waves of the pandemic the UK had one of the highest death tolls per person in the world from Covid-19 and it’s clear just how personally responsible for that he was.

2/6

It was hard to keep up with the number of horrific revelations that came out of the Covid Inquiry today.

1/6 As we’ve always suspected, instead of preparing as cases spread across the globe and within the UK, the Government wasted time debating “herd immunity” even when it was clear this would lead to hundreds of thousands of deaths.

2/6

The first module of the Inquiry has confirmed exactly what the bereaved have always known: that the UK Government had entirely failed to plan to prevent or slow the spread of a pandemic and it was families like ours that paid the price.
(1/4) The last few weeks have exposed that we had no overall plan for a non-flu pandemic, a dysfunctional civil emergencies framework, and inadequate coordination between local and central government and Westminster and devolved governments.
(2/4)

In response to Matt Hancock's appearance at the @covidinquiryuk Lindsay Jackson has made the following statement on behalf of Covid 19 Bereaved Families for Justice:
'Matt Hancock’s appearance today confirmed what we already knew; that he and the Government entirely failed
(1/6) to plan to save lives, instead focusing their attentions on disposal of bodies in what they accepted as an ‘inevitable’ crisis.
(2/6)

Please watch ITV’s devastating report from last night.

Instead of listening to bereaved families in person the Covid Inquiry are outsourcing the process to private companies, including 23Red, a PR Firm paid millions for its work inside the Cabinet Office during the pandemic. 23Red are owned by CapGemini, who also won contracts worth millions of pounds, including in NHS Test and Trace.

The conflict of interest is obvious.

These companies shouldn't be anywhere near the Inquiry, never mind responsible for how it reaches bereaved families

Lobby Akinnola, spokesperson for Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK said “23Red were working with the Cabinet Office throughout the pandemic and have an obvious conflict of interest.
(1/6)

https://twitter.com/ITVNewsPolitics/status/1638980680280584193

They shouldn’t be anywhere near the Covid Inquiry, never mind have responsibility for how it reaches those worst affected by Covid-19.

(2/6)

Today is a new low for Boris Johnson.

It’s clear he lied when he said to our faces that he’d done “all he could” to protect our loved ones, he lied again when he said the rules hadn’t been broken in number 10, and he’s lying now when he denies that was the case. He claims it was “his job” to say goodbye to colleagues, that he “would have needed an electric fence” around him to stick to the rules and that social distancing only applied “when possible".

It’s obvious that Boris Johnson deliberately misled Parliament and should resign as an MP.

Far worse though is the lies he deliberately told to bereaved families, after failing to protect our loved ones.

His claim that he did so in “good faith” is sickening.

https://twitter.com/PaulBrandITV/status/1638143383238574080

Boris Johnson will be remembered for partying whilst overseeing the UK having one of the highest death tolls in the world from Covid-19 during the first and second waves.

Earlier @38degrees flew over the @imacelebrity camp with a message for @MattHancock from us.

He isn't a 'celebrity', he's the former health secretary who oversaw the UK having one of the highest death tolls in the world from Covid-19 whilst breaking his own lockdown rules.

1/4 He’s the man we wrote to over a year ago asking him to pass over his private gmail emails relating to the handling of the pandemic to the new health secretary in readiness for the Covid Inquiry.

He’s the man who didn’t even respond to us.

2/4

Matt Hancock isn’t a ‘celebrity’, he’s the former health secretary who oversaw the UK having one of the highest death tolls in the world from Covid-19 whilst breaking his own lockdown rules.

1/5 The fact that he is trying to cash in on his terrible legacy, rather than showing some humility or seeking to reflect on the appalling consequences of his time in Government says it all about the sort of person he is.

2/5

Today was the preliminary hearing of the Covid Inquiry. Baroness Hallett’s claimed that bereaved families are not being “marginalised” in the inquiry.

We are sceptical.

Her proposals for the listening exercise does exactly that.

1/6

https://twitter.com/Independent/status/1577301429685030912

It’s been alarming to learn that our experiences will be collated by a third party, and worse that those third parties may include PR companies that were part of the Government’s pandemic response.

2/6

Our statement on the #SueGrayReport:

"There we have it.

Whilst the country had one of the highest death rates in the world from Covid-19, they were celebrating over Cheese and Wine and drinking themselves sick over a Karaoke machine.

1/8 When they refused to learn lessons and allowed the virus to run riot in the second wave, killing more people than it had in the first, they instead prioritised Secret Santa.

2/8