COVID-19 Inquiry: Timeline
Key dates in the inquiry's progress, assembled from its recorded milestones and hearing phases.
Hearing-phase dates are taken from the published hearing days; some earlier milestone dates are approximate where the inquiry has not published an exact date.
Milestones & hearing phases
Milestone
Hearing phase
Reports & costs
Still to come
Chair Appointed
Baroness Hallett appointed as Chair.
Procedural / preliminary hearing
22 sitting days
Evidential hearings
189 sitting days
First Every Story Matters record published
The Inquiry published the first record of what it heard through Every Story Matters, on people's experiences of the UK's healthcare systems. The records gather contributors' accounts and are submitted as evidence; they carry no findings or recommendations of their own.
Every Story Matters closes
Every Story Matters closed to new contributions with over 58,000 stories and experiences shared.
Module 2 report published
The Inquiry published its report on core UK decision-making and political governance (Modules 2, 2A, 2B and 2C).
Further Modules Planned
Modules on vaccines, care sector, and other topics planned through 2026.
Hearings conclude
The Inquiry concluded its public hearings with Module 10, after 32 preliminary and 242 public hearing days involving 663 witnesses.
Module 3 report published
The Inquiry published its report on the impact of the pandemic on healthcare systems in the four nations (Module 3).
Module 4 report published
The Inquiry published its report on vaccines and therapeutics (Module 4).
Final report (to be confirmed)
The inquiry has not yet reported.