A lack of ethnic diversity among the government's scientific advisers impacted the advice given to ministers during the pandemic, the Covid inquiry has heard.
Steven Riley, a professor of infectious disease dynamics who sat on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), said he observed a lack of diversity during his time, and that this may have had an effect on what advice was given to ministers, who then made policy decisions affecting the country.
During the pandemic, Black and Brown people were disproportionately impacted by coronavirus. They were more likely to be working in frontline jobs and living in cramped conditions, with higher levels of deprivation and worse health.
