People who have lost loved ones in the Covid-19 pandemic and those who have suffered will be at the "heart" of the public inquiry, its chairwoman has said.Former Court of Appeal judge Baroness Heather Hallett opened the independent inquiry in London saying she will conduct a "thorough" and "fair" hearing.Just before a minute's silence was held for those who lost their lives, she said: "There's one word that sums up the pandemic for so many, and that is the word 'loss'."Although there were positi

People who have lost loved ones in the Covid-19 pandemic and those who have suffered will be at the "heart" of the public inquiry, its chairwoman has said.Former Court of Appeal judge Baroness Heather Hallett opened the independent inquiry in London saying she will conduct a "thorough" and "fair" hearing.Just before a minute's silence was held for those who lost their lives, she said: "There's one word that sums up the pandemic for so many, and that is the word 'loss'."Although there were positive aspects of the pandemic, for example, the way in which communities banded together to help each other and the vulnerable, millions of people suffered loss, including the loss of friends and family members, the loss of good health, both mental and physical, economic loss, the loss of educational opportunities, and the loss of social interaction.