About the Inquiry
The UK Covid-19 Inquiry is
- finding out what happened during the covid-19 pandemic in the UK
- learning how to prepare for pandemics in the future
The Inquiry is divided into modules.
Each module is about a different subject. Each module has:
- public hearings – events where people talk about their experiences
- a report
Every Story Matters
Every Story Matters is how the Inquiry gathers people’s experiences of the pandemic.
Anyone in the UK can share theirs with us. The stories are used in the Inquiry. We do not use people’s names.
Stories help us to learn about what happened, then decide how to do things differently in future.
You might feel upset when you read and share stories. Here is a link to information about getting support: https://covid19.public-inquiry.uk/support–whilst-engaging-with-the-inquiry/
Records
Some modules use evidence from
Every Story Matters records.
Each record is a summary of the things people told us.
This document is the Easy Read version of the Vaccines and Therapeutics Record summary.
The Every Story Matters records are on our website: https://www.covid19.public-inquiry.uk/ every-story-matters/records/
Vaccines
Covid-19 vaccines are given to people as an injection.
A vaccine teaches your body to recognise and fight a virus.
Therapeutics
Therapeutics help people to recover from Covid-19 more quickly.
Examples of therapeutics include drugs and antibodies.
They were not given to everyone. Only people who were likely to become very unwell were allowed to have them.
Vaccines
Getting information about vaccines
Many people heard about vaccines on the news and on social media.
Some people felt relieved.
It gave them hope that life would soon go back to normal.
Other people thought the vaccines had been developed too fast.
They were worried that the vaccines might not be safe.
Most people understood the information about who would get vaccines, and when.
Some people were confused by information about how safe and effective the vaccines were.
It was hard to get accessible information. For example, in large print or in different languages.
Advice for pregnant women and new mothers changed. This worried people.
Some people did not trust the government’s information about vaccines. They looked for information in other places.
Some people felt overwhelmed by too much information.
Many people did not trust what they saw on social media. They saw stories about people who had bad reactions to the vaccines.
Some people said that information on social media was useful and it helped them to make decisions.
Getting information from other people
People got good information from:
- health workers, like doctors and midwives
- vaccine centres
- support groups
- faith communities
- friends and family
Some people wanted more information from their GP.
Some people told us their families tried to persuade them to have, or not have, the vaccine.
People who decided to have the vaccine told us:
- they assumed they would take it, so it didn’t feel like a decision
- it gave them hope about ending the lockdowns
- they wanted to protect themselves from serious illness
- they trusted people like scientists, doctors and politicians
- some people felt they had to have the vaccine, because of pressure from society
Reasons why people decided not to have the vaccine, or were not sure:
- worry about whether the vaccine was safe
- not enough information about the effects of the vaccine in the future
- if people experienced racism and discrimination before the pandemic, they did not trust messages from government or the NHS
- they felt they didn’t need the vaccine, because they were not at risk of getting very unwell
Getting vaccines out to people
The people who needed the vaccine the most got them first. People told us they thought this was fair.
Some people thought that some groups of people should have been vaccinated more quickly.
For example, people living with someone at risk of being very ill.
The booking system was good.
It could have been more accessible and included information about extra help at the vaccine centres.
After the first vaccine
Many people felt excited or hopeful about life going back to normal.
Some people felt regret or fear. Often this was because they felt they had been forced to have the vaccine.
Some people felt side effects, like a sore arm, aching and fever.
Some people had very serious side effects and needed to go to hospital. Some of these people felt frustrated, angry and ignored.
Therapeutics
Therapeutics were given to the people who were most at risk of becoming very unwell from Covid-19.
People heard about therapeutics from the NHS, the Chief Medical Officer and support groups.
Some people were contacted by Test and Trace.
Some people contacted NHS 111.
Therapeutics often helped to make people feel less unwell.
Some people were confused about how to get them, and who was allowed to have them. There was different information in different places.
Some people said they were not given treatment, but people in similar situations were given treatment. This made them feel frustrated and angry.
People who were not given treatment felt afraid of what might happen.
Tell your story
You can share your experiences in 3 ways:
Our website
Events
We run drop-in events in towns and cities across the UK.
Research
We do research with selected groups of people.
https://covid19.public-inquiry.uk/records/
Thank you for reading our record.