Image source, Getty Images
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Future pandemics could be more deadly than the current COVID-19 crisis, warned one of the creators of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
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Professor Sarah Gilbert assured at the 44th Richard Dimbleby Conference that more funding for pandemics is necessary to prevent the progress made from being lost.
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He also warned that vaccines could be less effective against the omicron variant.
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Additionally, Gilbert noted that people should remain cautious until more is known about it.
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“This will not be the last time a virus threatens our lives and our livelihoods. The truth is, the next could be worse. It could be more contagious or deadly, or both“.
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“We cannot allow ourselves to reach a situation where, after going through everything we have been through, we find that the enormous economic losses suffered have not led to funds available to prepare for a pandemic,” he added.
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“The progress we have made and the knowledge we have gained must not be lost.”
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“We must be cautious”
Referring to the omicron variant, he noted that mutations in the spike protein are known to increase the transmissibility of the virus.
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“But there are additional changes that can make antibodies generated by vaccines or by infection with other variants lesss effective to prevent infection by (the variant) omicron, “he specified.
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“Until we know more about it, we must be cautious and take steps to slow the spread of this new variant.”
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However, Gilbert pointed out that reducing protection against COVID-19 infection and the mild version of the disease does not necessarily mean that protection against its most severe form and death is reduced.
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He also asked that the rapid progress observed in the application of vaccines and medicines during the pandemic become the norm.
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There is no reason why a universal flu vaccine cannot be developed to eliminate the threat of influenza, he criticized.
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Creator of the most used vaccine in the world
Scientist Sarah Gilbert, who was honored with the title of lady on Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday earlier this year, began designing a coronavirus vaccine in early 2020, after SARS-CoV-2 emerged. for the first time in China.
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The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is now the most widely used worldwide, with doses shipped to more than 170 countries.
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