UK Covid inquiry calls for vaccine compensation reform and trust-building after praising rollout

The inquiry's fourth report stated the vaccine programme was a historic success while urging reforms to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme and action to address hesitancy.

• The inquiry reported that the vaccine rollout, the largest in UK history, administered 132 million doses in 2021 and saved more than 475,000 lives.
• Inquiry chair Baroness Hallett said the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme requires urgent reform, as payouts have been capped at £120,000 since 2007 and only 1% of over 20,000 claims were approved.
• The report stated that vaccine mandates for health and care workers likely contributed to alienation and increased hesitancy, and were later revoked.
• The inquiry noted that the use of dexamethasone, a cheap steroid drug, saved an estimated 22,000 lives in the UK by March 2021.