What lies beyond the Covid crisis? Sign up to The Independent’s exclusive free virtual event

Join The Independent’s expert panel to hear more about life in the UK after the Coronavirus lockdown and the challenges facing science and society

What is the future for the UK post Covid crisis (AFP via Getty Images)

The UK is emerging from six months of lockdown after one of the deadliest waves of the pandemic which saw more than 100,000 patients admitted to hospital with Covid.

The easing of restrictions follows the tremendous success of the vaccine programme rollout across the UK with approaching 40 per cent of the population now fully protected against Covid after receiving two doses of vaccine.

But what next for the UK post the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown? Will the virus continue to decline or will the risks of variants like the b.1.617.2, first identified in India, knock us off course and need new restrictions?

How will the NHS recover the huge waiting list for patients needing operations? How will society tackle some of the fault lines exposed by the pandemic, namely inequality in terms of health, wealth and race?

Join The Independent’s health correspondent Shaun Lintern and science correspondent Sam Lovett, as they discuss these big issues with two special guests during an exclusive webinar What lies beyond the Covid Crisis? on 26 May at 6.30pm.

On the panel will be Dr Jennifer Dixon, chief executive of the Health Foundation charity and think tank which has been lifting the lid on the serious health inequalities in the UK and the challenges facing the NHS and wider society. Dr Dixon is an expert in public health and health policy reform both in the UK and internationally.

To sign up to Shaun Lintern’s free weekly health newsletter click here

Also joining the discussion will be Dr Stephen Griffin, from the University of Leeds, an expert virologist studying the mechanics of how viruses work and impact the human body.

The panel will explore all the challenges facing the UK post the pandemic and take some questions from the audience.

The webinar will be held at 6.30pm on 26 May. To find out how to join and submit your questions ahead of it please sign up here.