'We're Not Ready': Ex-Top Adviser Warns UK Govt About Another Pandemic Amid Social Media Buzz

The former chief scientific adviser to the British government has warned that another pandemic is inevitable and urged the incoming government to focus on preparation efforts in case a covid-like situation emerges, stressing that “we are not ready yet.”

Addressing a panel event, Sir Patrick Vallance, urged for the need for better surveillance to detect emerging threats early. “It’s great we are having an election as there are clearly issues that need to be sorted out,” he was quoted as saying by 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 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 “sort of forgotten” his recommendations. “You can’t forget about it,” he urged, comparing pandemic preparedness to maintaining armed forces. He praised the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) pandemic accord as a positive step but criticized the lack of focus on the issue.

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

Another wrote, “We aren’t in a pandemic now. The pandemic ended in 2022 and the emergency ended in 2023.” Yet another added, “I feel we jumped the public health shark when we started locking public bathrooms from the outside.” UK scientific adviser’s warning comes as the head of the WHO on Monday voiced confidence that countries would one day reach a deal on a pandemic accord after failing to produce an agreement last week, although health officials warned it could take years.