The coronavirus pandemic that has so far killed more than 5 million people worldwide is far from over. But the next one could be even more lethal, and destructive, the creator of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine Sarah Gilbert has said.
- As fears grow over the threat posed by the highly mutated Omicron variant, detected in more than 30 countries. Prof Dame Sarah Gilbert said that while it was increasingly obvious that “this pandemic is not done with us”, the next one could be worse.
- The message came as ministers were told by one of their scientific advisers that the new variant was spreading pretty rapidly in the UK. The travel rules starting on Tuesday would be too late to prevent a potential wave of infections. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on Sunday night reported 86 new Omicron cases, taking the total identified so far to 246.
- Meanwhile, failure to vaccinate the world against coronavirus created the perfect breeding ground for the emergence of the Omicron variant and should serve as a wake-up call to wealthy nations, campaigners have said.
- Scientists and global health experts have called for action since the summer to tackle the crisis of vaccine inequality between rich and poor countries. The World Health Organization says the heavily mutated Omicron variant is likely to spread internationally and poses a very high risk of infection surges that may have severe consequences in some places.
- While visiting the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, US President Biden said,
“and it doesn’t include shutdowns or lockdowns but widespread vaccinations and boosters and testing and a lot more.”
- Biden’s plan will require private health insurers to reimburse their customers for the cost of over-the-counter, at-home COVID-19 tests. 50 million tests would be made available to the uninsured for free through health centers and rural clinics.
However, COVID-19 cases in South Africa have nearly tripled, amid a fourth surge linked to the Omicron coronavirus variant.
