‘We’re not ready’: Former senior adviser warns UK government of another pandemic amid social media buzz

The UK government’s former chief scientific adviser has warned that another pandemic is inevitable and urged the new government to focus on preparedness efforts in case a Covid-like situation emerges, stressing that “we are not still ready.”

Addressing a panel discussion, Sir Patrick Vallance stressed the need for better surveillance to quickly detect emerging threats. “It’s great that we’re having an election because there are clearly issues that need to be resolved,” he said. The Guardian. The former chief scientific adviser urged the next government to implement faster diagnostic tests, vaccines and treatments to avoid the extreme measures taken during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021.

Vallance believes that these measures are feasible but require coordination. In 2021, Vallance advised G7 leaders on the importance of rapid response systems, but by 2023, he noted, they had “kind of forgotten” his recommendations. “You can’t forget it,” he insisted, comparing pandemic preparedness to staying put. armed forces. He welcomed the World Health Organization’s (WHO) agreement on the pandemic, calling it a positive step, but criticized the lack of attention to the issue.

Vallance warned that if pandemic preparedness is not prioritized by key groups like the G7 and G20, the world will face the same vulnerabilities as before in 2020. Some social media users have taken the Vallance’s warning with a pinch of salt. “Former chief scientific adviser warns we are ‘not ready’ for the inevitable next pandemic. I think this is called stating the obvious. We’re not even dealing with the pandemic we’re in now,” said one of the cynical voices on X.

Another wrote: “We are not in a pandemic right now. The pandemic ended in 2022 and the emergency ended in 2023.” Yet another added: “I feel like we jumped the public health shark when we started locking toilets public from outside. » The British scientific adviser’s warning comes as the WHO chief said on Monday he was confident that countries would one day reach agreement on a pandemic deal after failing to reach an agreement last week, although health officials have warned it could take years.

Health officials expressed frustration with negotiations that were hampered by lengthy discussions after midnight, last-minute position changes and growing criticism from right-wing commentators that the treaty would undermine sovereignty . Ministers from WHO’s 194 member states are seeking to conclude more than two years of negotiations on new pandemic response rules at the May 27-June 1 World Health Assembly, after Covid-19 killed millions of people. Negotiators failed to produce a draft agreement on Friday for formal approval by the assembly this week.