Campaigners argue that the independent public inquiry into the pandemic in the UK should focus heavily on race.
Racism should be considered "as a key issue" at every stage, according to a letter to the Covid-19 inquiry's chairwoman that BBC News has seen.
According to official statistics, ethnic minorities had a significantly higher mortality rate from Covid-19.
The unequal effects of the pandemic, according to a spokesperson for the inquiry, would be the focus of its work.
Additionally, those from ethnic minorities who lost loved ones to the pandemic told BBC News that they felt "sidelined" by the procedure thus far.
Runnymede and Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, two organizations that advocate for racial equality, coordinated the letter to Baroness Hallett, who is leading the inquiry. It demands that ethnic minority communities be "firmly at the center" of the investigation.
A total of 26 organizations, including health organizations like the NHS BME Network and London-based Guys and St Thomas's Foundation and equality organizations like the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants and the Ubele initiative, have signed it.
The letter was sent in advance of a preliminary hearing on Tuesday where the role of the healthcare system in the pandemic will be discussed.
In June, the inquiry will begin taking testimony. Preliminary discussions are taking place now to decide which topics should be covered in each section of the investigation.
The Covid inquiry told BBC News that it is committed to examining inequalities and that its investigations will focus on how they have affected the pandemic.
This commitment to examine inequalities typically falls short for those who have lost family members. They think that ethnicity should be looked at separately.
There is "no way [race] couldn't have," according to Lobby Akinnola, whose father, Femi, passed away alongside Covid in April 2020 at the age of 60.
He claimed that his father regularly went to the gym and had no underlying medical conditions.
He was a black man in England, according to Lobby.
Racism is present in all facets of life. Because he did everything right, my dad serves as a great example of why it's crucial to view this as a systemic and structural issue. ".
Femi was a "key worker" when providing care. People from minority ethnic communities were then statistically more likely to be categorized as key workers, especially in jobs that required them to interact with the public and were therefore more likely to expose them to the virus.
"As improvised PPE, he was wearing his winter scarves and gloves to work. The man could have done nothing more to try to survive, according to Lobby.
The inquiry's barrister stated at a hearing on February 14 that it would be "an impossible task" to examine racism in the first part of the inquiry, which will examine how prepared the UK was for a pandemic.
According to the Covid inquiry, it had given the first module "two world-leading inequalities experts" to contribute to.
Because "we've seen first-hand the consequences" of racial inequality, Lobby wants stories like his father's to be heard in the investigation.
As a black man from a black family, I feel that race and the effect that race had on the pandemic have also. recently put on hold. It appears to be less of a top priority for the investigation and more of an afterthought. ".
In order to collect people's experiences, the inquiry has set up a listening exercise.
Another claim made in the letter to Lady Hallett is that the listening exercise seems to be an "entirely separate process" from the main investigation.
Rabinder Sherwood took part in the experiment two weeks ago by completing an online survey. Rabinder's parents both passed away alongside Covid in January 2021.
When asked, "When did your experience start? ", and "When did your experience end?," she described the form as being "really cold" and having some "brutal" questions.
She submitted it and then abruptly ended the conversation by saying, "Thank you, goodbye, and there is no signposting to any support you may need. ".
In response to a question regarding the listening exercise, the Covid-19 Inquiry informed BBC News that it had hired experts in research and communications to "enable thousands of people across the UK to share their experiences with the pandemic.".
During the initial wave of the pandemic, Jean Adamson's father passed away in a nursing home. She claimed that so far, her voice has not been heard.
Lady Hallett had "promised us that bereaved families would be front and center of the inquiry," the speaker claimed.
"Because that isn't happening, I feel betrayed. We're being ignored by everyone.
. "
