(Adds quotes and details on Omicron)
LONDON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Future pandemics could be even
more lethal than COVID-19 so the lessons learned from the
outbreak must not be squandered and the world should ensure it
is prepared for the next viral onslaught, one of the creators of
the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine said.
The novel coronavirus has killed 5.26 million people across
the world, according to Johns Hopkins University, wiped out
trillions of dollars in economic output and turned life upside
down for billions of people.
"The truth is, the next one could be worse. It could be more
contagious, or more lethal, or both," Sarah Gilbert said in the
Richard Dimbleby Lecture, the BBC reported. "This will not be
the last time a virus threatens our lives and our livelihoods."
Gilbert, a professor of vaccinology at the University of
Oxford, said the world should make sure it is better prepared
for the next virus.
"The advances we have made, and the knowledge we have
gained, must not be lost," she said.
Efforts to end the COVID-19 pandemic have been uneven and
fragmented, marked by limited access to vaccines in low-income
countries while the "healthy and wealthy" in rich countries get
boosters, health experts say.
A panel of health experts set up by the World Health
Organisation to review the handling of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic
has called for permanent funding and for greater ability to
investigate pandemics through a new treaty.
One proposal was for new financing of at least $10 billion a
year for pandemic preparedness.
The COVID-19 outbreak was first detected in China in late
2019. Vaccines were developed against the virus in record time.
Gilbert said the Omicron variant's spike protein contained
mutations known to increase the transmissibility of the virus.
"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,"
Gilbert said.
"Until we know more, we should be cautious, and take steps
to slow down the spread of this new variant."
(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Stephanie Nebehay; Editing
by Kate Holton)