As the first report of the UK COVID-19 Inquiry into the UK’s planning and preparation for the pandemic is published, Professor David Lalloo, Director of Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) has said: “It is vital that we learn the lessons from our response to this pandemic if we have any chance of saving lives during the next one.”
The inquiry has found that significant flaws in the UK’s preparedness meant that the pandemic caused more deaths and economic damage than it should have. The Inquiry’s Chair, Baroness Hallett, recommends a fundamental reform of the government and devolved nations’ preparedness for civil emergencies.
“We need to work together with purpose and urgency to ensure that we are better prepared for the next global pandemic before it hits," explained Professor Lalloo: “LSTM’s expertise in disease surveillance internationally could be key in preventing the next outbreak becoming a global pandemic. Funding health interventions internationally is critical to ensure that we are best placed to protect the health security of the UK and other countries.
“The report also highlights the adverse effects of existing health inequalities. It is vital that preparedness strategies take into account the disproportionate impacts that infectious diseases place on those from disadvantaged communities. We know that pandemics hit the poorest populations hardest, both within the low-and middle-income countries in which we work and in the UK.”
“Diseases do not recognise borders; unless we are all protected then none of us are. Let this be an opportunity for us to recognise how important it is to work together in the UK and globally, to ensure we don’t make the same mistakes again."