Patrick Vallance, the former chief scientific adviser to the United Kingdom government, said that the nation is not ready for another pandemic, which is "absolutely inevitable".&nbsp;

While speaking during a conference, Patrick said, "Are we ready for another pandemic? The answer is no. We need better surveillance to be able to pick these things up."&nbsp;

"We need to be much faster, much more aligned. And there are ways to do this – getting rapid diagnostic tests, rapid vaccines, rapid treatments – so that you don't have to go into the extreme measures that took place last time," he added while talking about key improvement areas.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/britains-thames-water-tests-samples-amid-contamination-fears-and-reported-illnesses-725409">Britain's Thames Water tests samples amid contamination fears and reported illnesses</a>&nbsp;

The future pandemics need "continual government focus and attention" and yet "by 2023 the G7 had sort of forgotten about it," he said at the Hay Festival. He also said, "You can't forget about it in two years."&nbsp;

His comments came just a day after negotiations on a landmark global agreement on handling future pandemics ended without a deal.&nbsp;

In the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, countries have spent two years for commitments on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. But there was no deal. However, the nations have said that they wanted to keep pushing for an accord.&nbsp;

"This is not a failure," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. He urged countries to see it as a "good opportunity to re-energise" after talks ended at the UN health agency's headquarters in Geneva.&nbsp;

"The world still needs a pandemic treaty and the world needs to be prepared," he commented.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/worlds-life-expectancy-is-lowest-in-over-a-decade-due-to-covid-who-725276">World's life expectancy is lowest in over a decade due to Covid: WHO</a>&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Keir Starmer 'would lower voting age in one of Labour's first acts'

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<h2>UK Elections&nbsp;2024</h2>

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a general election for July 4 ending months of speculations with people saying that health should be a top priority for all parties. &nbsp;

The health sector in the UK is in dire straits. Hospitals need repair, employees are overworked and waiting lines are breaking records. Junior doctor strikes emerged as a massive issue for the healthcare system and the government as well.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Patrick Vallance, the former chief scientific adviser to the United Kingdom government, said that the nation is not ready for another pandemic, which is "absolutely inevitable".

Patrick Vallance, the former chief scientific adviser to the United Kingdom government, said that the nation is not ready for another pandemic, which is "absolutely inevitable". While speaking during a conference, Patrick said, "Are we ready for another pandemic? The answer is no. We need better surveillance to be able to pick these things up." "We need to be much faster, much more aligned. And there are ways to do this – getting rapid diagnostic tests, rapid vaccines, rapid treatments – so that you don't have to go into the extreme measures that took place last time," he added while talking about key improvement areas. Also read: Britain's Thames Water tests samples amid contamination fears and reported illnesses The future pandemics need "continual government focus and attention" and yet "by 2023 the G7 had sort of forgotten about it," he said at the Hay Festival. He also said, "You can't forget about it in two years." His comments came just a day after negotiations on a landmark global agreement on handling future pandemics ended without a deal. In the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, countries have spent two years for commitments on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. But there was no deal. However, the nations have said that they wanted to keep pushing for an accord. "This is not a failure," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. He urged countries to see it as a "good opportunity to re-energise" after talks ended at the UN health agency's headquarters in Geneva. "The world still needs a pandemic treaty and the world needs to be prepared," he commented. Also read: World's life expectancy is lowest in over a decade due to Covid: WHO Watch: Keir Starmer 'would lower voting age in one of Labour's first acts' × UK Elections 2024 Earlier this week, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a general election for July 4 ending months of speculations with people saying that health should be a top priority for all parties. The health sector in the UK is in dire straits. Hospitals need repair, employees are overworked and waiting lines are breaking records. Junior doctor strikes emerged as a massive issue for the healthcare system and the government as well. (With inputs from agencies)

UK not prepared for ‘inevitable’ next pandemic, says ex-chief scientific adviser

Britain hopes the measures it has taken to tackle coronavirus mean it will have below 20,000 deaths from the outbreak, the government's chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance said on Tuesday.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-passport-to-return-to-iconic-blue-colour-284289">UK passport to return to iconic blue colour</a>

On Monday, the government ramped up its battle against the virus, shutting down social life in Britain and ordering the most vulnerable to isolate for 12 weeks.

Vallance said the impact of the measures on the number of infections should be seen in two to three weeks. Based on the modelling being used by the government, it is a "reasonable ballpark" that Britain actually has around 55,000 cases of the virus, compared to the 1,543 confirmed by testing, he said.

Also see:<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/number-of-uk-coronavirus-cases-rises-to-273-285120">&nbsp;Number of UK coronavirus cases rises to 273</a>

He told a committee of lawmakers when asked about deaths: "If we can get this down to 20,000 and below, that is a good outcome in terms of where we would hope to get to with this outbreak. It is still horrible, it is still an enormous number of deaths and it is an enormous pressure on the health service."

Britain hopes the measures it has taken to tackle coronavirus mean it will have below 20,000 deaths from the outbreak, the government's chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance said on Tuesday.

Britain hopes the measures it has taken to tackle coronavirus mean it will have below 20,000 deaths from the outbreak, the government's chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance said on Tuesday. Also read: UK passport to return to iconic blue colour On Monday, the government ramped up its battle against the virus, shutting down social life in Britain and ordering the most vulnerable to isolate for 12 weeks. Vallance said the impact of the measures on the number of infections should be seen in two to three weeks. Based on the modelling being used by the government, it is a "reasonable ballpark" that Britain actually has around 55,000 cases of the virus, compared to the 1,543 confirmed by testing, he said. Also see: Number of UK coronavirus cases rises to 273 He told a committee of lawmakers when asked about deaths: "If we can get this down to 20,000 and below, that is a good outcome in terms of where we would hope to get to with this outbreak. It is still horrible, it is still an enormous number of deaths and it is an enormous pressure on the health service."

UK expects 20,000 deaths from coronavirus: Government chief scientist

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UK not prepared for ‘inevitable’ next pandemic, says ex-chief scientific adviser

UK expects 20,000 deaths from coronavirus: Government chief scientist