Matt Hancock has resisted pleas from grieving families to set a timetable for an inquiry into the Government's handling of the pandemic.
The Health Secretary brushed off a question from the Mirror over when a probe would take place amid growing calls from bereaved relatives and Covid-19 survivors for action.
Union leaders and grieving relatives observed a minute's silence at the National Covid-19 Memorial Wall in London Wednesday, in memory of some 127,000 people who have died during the pandemic.
Boris Johnson has promised an inquiry into the handling of the Covid crisis but the Government has repeatedly refused to give any details on when it will begin.
It comes despite multiple inquiries being launched in recent weeks over the sleaze scandal engulfing Downing Street, including an investigation by Mr Johnson's new standards adviser on the PM's lavish renovation of his official flat.
The Mirror's Ben Glaze asked Mr Hancock to give comfort to grieving relatives by setting out a timetable for a Covid inquiry at Wednesday's Downing Street press conference.
Mr Hancock replied: "You are quite right it's important that we have an inquiry.
"It's important too that we learn lessons all of the time. I think that it is vital that we constantly are seeking to learn what we can about the science, about how the rollout's working, about how we can improve policy, and then respond to that.
"There will be time for an inquiry but the most important thing for the decision makers is to make sure we are constantly learning."
He said the inquiry should "cover everything".
It comes after grieving relatives renewed their calls to learn lessons from the pandemic amid questions over the handling of the virus last year.
Questions include whether the UK should have shut its borders earlier, why frontline staff did not have enough protective kit and whether tougher social distancing rules could have been brought in earlier.
On Workers Memorial Day, Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice co-founder Jo Goodman told the Mirror: “Many of our loved ones lost their life after catching Covid-19 in their workplaces.
“From working in the factories that produced PPE for the NHS to the nurses and doctors who didn't have enough PPE at the start of the pandemic, they kept the country going and paid the ultimate price.
“An independent, judge-led statutory public inquiry is vital to making sure we learn lessons and save lives during the pandemic and for any future waves.
“The stories of our loved ones hold the answers to preventing more grief for other families.”
