Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Even as the Covid-19 virus continues to wreak havoc, and its new super mutant strain Omicron spreading to nearly 40 countries within two weeks, the next pandemic could be even more lethal, according to Professor Sarah Gilbert, who created the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, currently being used globally.
The Delta variant alone has claimed over 5 million lives so far, globally.
According to the media reports on Monday, she made this observation while delivering the 44th Richard Dimbleby Lecture. Prof. Gilbert cautioned the people that “this pandemic is not done with us”, and vaccines could also be less effective against the Omicron variant.
A professor of vaccinology at the University of Oxford, whose team developed the Covid-19 vaccine now used across 170 countries, Prof. Gilbert said the scientific advances made and knowledge gained in research fighting against the coronavirus must not be lost. She also emphasized the need for more funding on pandemic preparedness.
“This will not be the last time a virus threatens our lives and our livelihoods. The next one could be worse. It could be more contagious, or more lethal, or both,” she said.
“We cannot allow a situation where we have gone through all we have gone through, and then find that the enormous economic losses we have sustained mean that there is still no funding for pandemic preparedness.”
“All the advances we have made, and the knowledge we have gained, must not be lost,” she said.
The latest variant Omicron’s spike protein contains multiple mutations known to increase the transmissibility of the virus.
“But there are additional changes that may mean antibodies induced by the vaccines, or by infection with other variants, may be less effective at preventing infection with Omicron.”
Omicron is said to appear less dangerous than previous variants like Delta, which has claimed over 5 million lives so far.
However, Prof. Gilbert said reduced protection against infection and mild disease would not necessarily mean reduced protection against severe illness and death.
“Until we know more, we should be cautious, and take steps to slow down the spread of this new variant.”
On Sunday, the United Kingdom recorded 86 fresh cases of the Omicron variant, taking the total so far to 246.