EXCLUSIVE: Last month, the UK marked the grim milestone of five years since being plunged into lockdown as the Covid pandemic tore through the country – now we ask experts how prepared are we for another?
The UK is “not fully prepared” for the scale of another pandemic five years on from the outbreak of Covid, a medical expert has warned. GP and Physician Dr Olalekan Otulana says we can’t “just wait” for the next outbreak and fears the country’s care home sector is underfunded and understaffed, leaving the elderly vulnerable if another health crisis hits.
He said: “The UK is in a better position now than it was before Covid , but we still have a lot of work to do.”
Last month, the country marked five years since the first lockdowns as the first wave of Covid-19 hit these shores, which eventially killed more than 232,000 people.
And health chiefs outlined four emerging viruses that could cause the next pandemic, amid fears one is so deadly that even strict lockdowns would not contain it.
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Star, Dr Otulana added: “We need to take an approach that addresses elderly care, mental health, and the efficient use of resources, all year round not just in the heat of the moment.”
The UK learned some “hard lessons” during the Covid pandemic and there “has been progress,” Dr Otulana said.
But he warned: “We can’t afford to be complacent. The NHS has shown incredible resilience despite the challenges they faced, a lack of PPE and so on.
“It adapted quickly, but I’d still say we’re not fully prepared for the scale of a pandemic again.
“We saw huge gaps in elderly care and care homes, and we’re still seeing problems with staffing and funding in that area. That’s something we need to address.
“The elderly, as we know, are always most vulnerable during a health crisis. Their care needs to be a priority in future planning.”
The UK “did remarkably well” to roll out a Covid vaccine so fast and save so many lives, Dr Otulana said.
But he said the country can’t “just wait for the next big outbreak to react” and called for a “long-term” vaccination strategy which “makes sure people in the most vulnerable communities are always well covered.”
And he said the country needs to improve infection control, adding: “I think we can do more to track and contain outbreaks quickly.
“Better testing systems and clearer protocols for isolating and ensuring we don’t face shortages of essential goods and services during crises. These are all basic and essential.”
Last month, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), told how he is frequently asked: “Are we more ready for the next pandemic than we were for the last one?”
He said: “My answer is ‘yes’ and ‘no’.” Writing in Context News, he said the WHO had “worked hard to improve how we detect, prevent and respond to new health threats.”
But he warned: “Despite significant progress, however, I still must tell decision makers that ‘no, we are not yet fully prepared’.
“Many countries are still struggling to sustain gains and financially support their health workers, systems and capacities to prevent and react quickly to new outbreaks.
“Fragile supply chains, inequitable access to life-saving tools and the spread of mis- and dis-information remain serious problems.
“Although the speed of Covid-19 vaccine development was an extraordinary scientific achievement, developing countries were left waiting for vaccines. Many people never received any.”
The Department of Health and Social Care says it has a “new strategic approach to pandemic preparedness” and will conduct a national exercise on the UK’s pandemic preparedness later this year.
It says it will aim to test the country’s ability to respond to a pandemic and will involve all regions and nations of the UK and thousands of participants.
A spokesperson said: “Through our Plan for Change, this government is fixing the NHS and making it better prepared for any future pandemic.
“We’re taking the lessons from Covid, boosting our world-leading vaccine manufacturing and research capabilities, and taking part in a national exercise later this year to make sure our preparations are watertight.
“Our £108 billion life sciences sector also protects us against future pandemics, as well as creating jobs and driving economic growth.”
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