Mr. Vallance supported the WHO’s pandemic accord as directionally correct, nonetheless; he underscored the requirement for continued focus and effective systems of investigation.
Speaking in a virtual Q&A session called
“After the Pandemic: Health and Values,” Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK’s
former chief scientific advisor, said that the next pandemic is inevitable. When asked about it by the gathering at the Hay Festival, Vallance said that there could be an election next year, but one had to focus on the
“mess,”
critical issues that needed sorting.
Another issue highlighted by Mr. Vallance relates to the need for qualitative advancements, where he refers to something referred to as
“better surveillance.”
He also underlined the swift commitment, pointing to it in his remarks to the G7 leaders earlier this year.
Bonny lu Even though it may be impossible to eliminate any severe disease from the world, Mr. Vallance stated that through correct diagnostics, vaccines, and treatments, people will not need to undertake as stringent measures as those seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. That, however, is possible, and in pursuit of these goals, a lot of international
“coordination”
is needed, he warned.
As quoted in The Guardian, he noted that the G7 had tacitly let go of the points he had highlighted in 2021 and by 2023. He implored them to say,
“You can’t leave it behind,”
and proposed that pandemic planning must be done like one would prepare for war.
“We are aware that one has to have an army; it may not be the case that there is going to be a war this year or the next, but we recognize that it is a necessity,”
he noted. “This preparedness has to remain like this, and it has to remain in place. Don’t think that it’s easy to keep cutting back when there’s no sign of a pandemic—because there won’t be a sign of a pandemic.”.
