Two junior clinicians who attended meetings to discuss guidance on personal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic have been denied an application by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to keep their identities anonymous by the chair of the Covid inquiry, Baroness Hallett. Lawyers representing UKHSA had made a request to prevent their names from being published due to fears of abuse and harassment on social media and in person. However, Baroness Hallett ruled that any risk to the clinicians was outweighed by the public interest in reporting on the group’s work.
The Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Cell was responsible for drawing up guidance on PPE use in healthcare settings from February 2020 until it was disbanded in 2022, following which the IPC Cell was replaced by UKHSA. Critics have stated that the IPC Cell was too slow to strengthen its recommendations on PPE after it became clear Covid could be spread by tiny airborne particles. The Covid-19 Airborne Transmission Alliance (CATA) has called it a “shadowy” organization with “unclear” accountability structures.
UKHSA argued that the heated and aggressive discourse around the subject area meant that there was a likelihood that junior staff could face online abuse if their names were published by the inquiry. However, Baroness Hallett stated that the work of the IPC Cell was significant to her investigation, and the public should have access to identify those involved in meetings to assess the evidence in full, including their qualifications. In her ruling, Baroness Hallett noted that she deplored the attacks and abuse on any public servants involved in their job.
The Covid inquiry has highlighted the abuse of scientists, medics, and other officials involved in the pandemic response, including Dame Ruth May, England’s chief nurse from 2019 until July 2024, speaking about the impact of “pretty horrible” comments online. Prof Sir Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, previously argued that abuse and threats aimed at independent scientists could undermine the response to future health crises. Moreover, in November 2023, Prof Sir Jonathan Van Tam, Sir Chris’s former deputy, told the inquiry his own family had been threatened with “having their throats cut” during the pandemic
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