
LONDON (AP) β One of the scientists behind the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is warning that the next pandemic may be more contagious and more lethal unless more money is devoted to research and preparations to fight emerging viral threats.
In excerpts released before a speech Monday, Professor Sarah Gilbert says the scientific advances made in fighting deadly viruses βmust not be lostβ because of the cost of fighting the current pandemic.
βThis will not be the last time a virus threatens our lives and our livelihoods,ββ Gilbert is expected to say. βThe truth is, the next one could be worse. It could be more contagious, or more lethal, or both.β
Gilbert is scheduled to make the remarks Monday night when she delivers this yearβs Richard Dimbleby lecture, named after the late broadcaster who was the BBCβs first war correspondent and a pioneer of television news in Britain. The annual televised lecture features addresses by influential figures in business, science and government.
Gilbert is set to call on governments to redouble their commitment to scientific research and pandemic preparedness, even after the threat of COVID-19 wanes.
βWe 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,ββ she said. βThe advances we have made, and the knowledge we have gained, must not be lost.β