Share this @internewscast.com

The UK is less prepared for a pandemic than it was before the Covid crisis after driving away jab manufacturers and relying on a narrow range of shots, according to the country’s former vaccine chief.

Dr Clive Dix, who chaired the UK’s vaccine taskforce, told MPs on Wednesday there had been “a complete demise” of work to ensure the UK was better equipped with vaccines for the next pandemic, noting that all the activities were “literally gone”.

The vaccine taskforce is widely regarded as a rare highlight in Britain’s Covid response. It was led by the venture capitalist Kate Bingham and Dix, who took over as chair in December 2020, when Britain became the first country to roll out Covid jabs.

Speaking to the Commons science, innovation and technology committee, Dix said he and Bingham gave ministers a set of “strong recommendations” to make sure Britain was better prepared when the next pandemic hit, but these were not adopted or published. “[There were] activities already going on that were stopped,” he added.

Another big concern, Dix said, was the UK’s reliance on mRNA vaccines, the approach behind the Pfizer and Moderna Covid shots, to tackle future outbreaks. “That’s really scary,” he told the hearing. “The mRNA vaccines are not the be-all and end-all. They will only work if we know what the virus is and know the antigen,” he said, referring to the part of the virus that triggers the immune system.

Beyond failing to invest in a range of vaccine technologies, the UK also drove vaccine manufacturers away by treating them so poorly, Dix added, leaving the country in an even worse position than before Covid.

“What we’ve seen is a whole list of incompetent decisions,” Dix told MPs. “We have less resilience now because a lot of the manufacturers have walked away from the UK because of how badly they were treated at the tail end of the vaccine taskforce.”

He raised the case of Valneva, a French firm that mothballed a vaccine facility it had built in Scotland after the government cancelled its contract during final stage clinical trials. On scrapping the deal, former health secretary Sajid Javid said the UK would not have approved the vaccine, but the medicines regulator duly approved the shot. Dix called the comments “incompetence at the highest level”.

A statement read to the MPs from the Pandemic Sciences Institute at Oxford University echoed concerns about a lack of resilience, noting that Britain was not prepared for the recent mpox outbreak and “remains unprepared for an avian influenza outbreak”.

Prof Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, who gave evidence alongside Dix, said the danger was in preparing for a future pandemic exactly like Covid. While Covid vaccines took nearly a year to develop, they built on years of crucial research on coronaviruses. Work on dozens of other potential pandemic pathogens lagged far behind, he said.

“For me, we are really unsafe at this moment for future pandemic threats because we just don’t have that knowledge base that you need to even start the gun as we did in 2020,” he said. “And even then it took 11 months to have a vaccine.”

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

ITV Health Expert Highlights How Addressing This Midlife Problem May Reduce Dementia Risk

The Alzheimer’s Society predicts that by 2040, the number of people in…

Identify This Early Warning Sign of Dementia While Reading – It’s Not Memory Loss

According to the NHS, the earliest stage of dementia is often termed…

FDA Announces Emergency Recall for Blueberries Due to Highest Risk Level Classification

The FDA has upgraded its warning about potentially deadly blueberries, indicating a…

‘Caught in the Rain: My Unexpected Battle with Immobilized Legs’

Ryan Swanepoel was running with friends one day when he suddenly noticed…

Experts Uncover Disturbing Cause of Mystery Lung Cancer Rise Among Non-Smokers: A Potential Threat to All Britons

Tiny air pollution particles may be behind the surge in lung cancer…

Warning Issued for Popular Over-the-Counter Medication – Pills Associated with Disease Linked to Bowel Cancer in Healthy Teens

Frequently taking a common type of painkiller could trigger inflammatory bowel disease…

A Comprehensive Guide to Selecting the Best Assisted Living for Adults with Autism

Individuals on the autism spectrum require care settings that recognize and cater…

Major Relationship Deal Breakers: Are You Unknowingly Sabotaging Your Love Life?

If you’re looking to spice up your relationship, upping your emoji game…

Matt Hancock Justifies Transfer of Hospital Patients to Care Homes During COVID-19 Crisis

Discharging untested patients from hospitals to care homes during the Covid crisis…

Specialists Caution Against Viral Drink Claiming to Eliminate Stress and Fatigue

A cocktail of fruit juices, sparkling water and vitamin powder might be…

My wife thought her bloating was due to perimenopause – she passed away on Sunday.

A mother has shared that her impending death from bowel cancer allowed…

Effective Ways to Quickly and Safely Stop Bleeding After a Tooth Extraction

Ever experienced having a tooth extracted and thought, why won’t the bleeding…