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Major changes are needed to reverse the profound social, educational and economic damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic, concludes a landmark review.

The review by the , published on the anniversary of the UK’s first lockdown, predicts that the pandemic will cause a decade-long shadow amidst declining public trust, worsening mental health and widening social inequalities.

Bringing together more than 500 pieces of evidence, identified nine key areas of social impact that need investment to mitigate the damage caused by the virus.

“The impact of covid-19 is not coming to an end. The social, economic and cultural impacts of the pandemic will cast a long shadow,” said Molly Morgan Jones of the British Academy at a press conference on Monday.

The review found that the UK’s successful covid-19 vaccine roll-out has failed to restore trust in the government, leaving high levels of distrust that experts warn will undermine efforts to change public behaviour.

Distrust in the UK government climbed last December and until early March has hovered at 61 per cent, with trust at 21 per cent, the review found. The numbers mark a sharp reversal from the early stages of the pandemic: in May 2020 slightly more people trusted than distrusted the government.

“Distrust in national government remains relatively high. I don’t think the roll-out is being attributed to government competence, it’s being attributed to the [National ��ҹ����1000���� Service] and local delivery systems,” says Dominic Abrams at the University of Kent, UK.

Distrust is a major challenge because it “undermines the ability to mobilise public behaviour for wider social and health benefits”, according to the review, which was commissioned by Patrick Vallance, the UK’s chief scientific adviser.

The wide-ranging review explores the social effects covid-19 will have for many years to come after the epidemic is brought under control. Young people are expected to be disproportionately hard hit in coming years, with the review concluding it is “unfeasible” for the lost education from months of school closures to be wholly recovered.

Richard Blundell at University College London says extra tutoring and learning for young people will need to be “long term” and “permanently in place”. That will require getting broadband and hardware to everyone who needs it, he adds.

While young people have had far fewer physical health impacts from the pandemic, the mental well-being of those aged between 16 and 24 deteriorated more than any other age group during the first lockdown, the review says.

It also found that the pandemic exacerbated existing inequalities along gender, ethnic and income lines. “Covid revealed shocking inequalities that had been there all along,” said Morgan Jones.

Investment to narrow the digital divide and reimagine urban spaces are among the solutions proposed by the British Academy in a , also published today.

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