The UK Covid-19 public inquiry has praised the vaccine rollout as an “extraordinary feat” but called for urgent reform of the payment scheme for those injured by the jabs. In her report, inquiry chair Baroness Heather Hallett said the UK’s leadership in biomedical sciences enabled rapid vaccine development and distribution.
Lady Hallett urged the government to raise the maximum payout under the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme from £120,000 to at least £200,000, adjusted for inflation. She also recommended scrapping the 60% disability threshold for eligibility, which leaves those with significant but lesser injuries with no compensation, and introducing a graduated payment system.
The report noted that by March 2023, vaccines saved 475,000 lives in England and Scotland alone, and that the risks were “far outweighed by the benefits.” However, it acknowledged the suffering of a “small minority” who experienced serious injury or death, calling for a more supportive government scheme.
On vaccine hesitancy, the inquiry found lower uptake in poorer communities and among some ethnic groups was predictable and could have been better planned for. Lady Hallett urged action to build trust and improve accessibility before the next pandemic.
She also highlighted lessons on prioritising groups like pregnant women and unpaid carers, and noted that compulsory jabs for care home workers, later scrapped, caused confusion. The report is the fourth from the UK Covid-19 Public Inquiry.
