Staying prepared for future pandemics ‘absolutely vital’ – scientist
The UK went into its first coronavirus lockdown five years ago.
It is absolutely vital that scientists and governments keep preparations “alive and well” in case of any future pandemic, an epidemiologist has said.
Professor Mark Woolhouse said it is important to keep the memory of the last pandemic alive to ensure readiness for what might happen in the future.
The University of Edinburgh academic was speaking on the fifth anniversary of the UK going into the first lockdown on March 24 2020.
In an interview on BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme, Prof Woolhouse was asked whether lessons have been learned from the pandemic and whether we are prepared for another.
He said: “My view, and the view of the public health community generally, is that memories are short, but if you think about it, very few of the politicians who were in power, who were making decisions during the pandemic are still there, and some of them weren’t even in ministerial posts, so they don’t have the memory the academic institutions do, the public health bodies do, but we really need to keep that memory alive.”
Prof Woolhouse, who advised the Scottish Government during the pandemic, said there is still a lot of discussion about related topics in Scotland and described how pandemic response is still “ticking over” in the scientific community.
He said the chief medical officer chaired a meeting last week at the Royal Society of Edinburgh where issues such as pandemic preparedness and what Scotland could do better in the future were discussed.
Prof Woolhouse joined the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (SPI-M-O), a sub-group of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), in 2020.
The professor of infectious disease epidemiology said it is important the issue of pandemics is not forgotten, adding: “It is absolutely vital that the scientists and the public health agencies and the machinery of government are still thinking about it and still keeping the preparedness and preparations alive and well.”
Public Health Minister Jenni Minto said: “Our deepest sympathies go out to all those who have lost a loved one to Covid-19.
“Health boards continue to offer vaccination for Covid, and I urge all those who are eligible to protect themselves when the next vaccination round opens in the spring.
“We also take the issue of long Covid very seriously and recognise the impact it can have on the health and wellbeing of those affected, which is why since April 2022 we have allocated more than £6.8 million to health boards to support their response to long Covid.
“The 2025/26 budget also includes new investment of £4.5 million to deliver specialist support across the country for long Covid, chronic fatigue and other similar conditions.
“There remains a great deal to be learned about long Covid, which is why we are contributing to the worldwide research effort to better understand the condition.
“Our Chief Scientist Office has awarded around £3.1 million for 11 projects considering its long-term effects.”
The UK Government has been approached for comment.
