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Covid inquiry: Lack of SAGE diversity 'impacted' scientific advice [1]
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Date: 2023-10
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.
SAGE, which was advising the government during the pandemic, was primarily made up of white, male scientists.
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Giving evidence today, Riley was asked whether he thought the lack of “ethnic diversity within the SAGE and its subgroups” may have had an “actual, substantive impact on how scientific advice was provided, bearing in mind of course what turned out to be the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on certain ethnic groups in this country?”.
“I think it's entirely possible that it did have an impact, yes,” said Riley.
Riley said he has not reviewed data on the subject but understands “this is a topic where looking at the number of people attending meetings, and their diversity of characteristics is a very valuable exercise”. He said his impression was that the lack of ethnic diversity impacted decision making and advice.
“There is very little ethnic diversity that I'm aware of within within the system, so I imagine that is an issue that should be addressed as well,” he added.
In the inquiry’s first module, scientists told the chair, Heather Hallett, that the UK did not consider structural racism in pandemic planning documents.
Other members of SAGE will be called to give evidence during the second module of the Covid inquiry, which aims to interrogate core UK decision-making and political governance.
The inquiry continues.
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[1] Url:
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/covid-19-inquiry-sage-ethnic-diversity-steven-riley/
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