LOCKDOWNS will not be possible again in the foreseeable future so Britain must increase its preparations ready for the next pandemic, an expert has warned.
Sir Peter Horby led the landmark Recovery trial which discovered the world’s first treatment proven to slash the risk of dying from Covid ~ a cheap steroid.
He told the Express that, while lockdowns reduced the virus's spread and eased pressure on the NHS, they were also “hugely disruptive and have lots of other adverse consequences”. He added that people's mixed experiences mean “we ought to assume that we would not see that level of compliance” again.
Sir Peter, director of Oxford University’s Pandemic Sciences Institute, said: “I’ve got significant doubts that you could ever do that again, not in my lifetime, because of the memories of the people who were very adversely affected by that and the scepticism that’s been present in various forums.
“We have got to use much smarter social and behavioural interventions.”
His warning comes as climate change increases the risk of pandemics by driving migration of animals and disease carriers such as mosquitoes. In January, scientists behind the Doomsday Clock cited this effect — along with the proliferation of high-containment biological laboratories and risk of bio-warfare — as one reason they fear humanity is edging closer to annihilation.
If he had to guess, Sir Peter’s money would be on flu as the next big threat. He said: “There’s this massive diversity of influen...
Sir Peter Horby led the landmark Recovery trial which discovered the world’s first treatment proven to slash the risk of dying from Covid ~ a cheap steroid.
He told the Express that, while lockdowns reduced the virus's spread and eased pressure on the NHS, they were also “hugely disruptive and have lots of other adverse consequences”. He added that people's mixed experiences mean “we ought to assume that we would not see that level of compliance” again.
Sir Peter, director of Oxford University’s Pandemic Sciences Institute, said: “I’ve got significant doubts that you could ever do that again, not in my lifetime, because of the memories of the people who were very adversely affected by that and the scepticism that’s been present in various forums.
“We have got to use much smarter social and behavioural interventions.”
His warning comes as climate change increases the risk of pandemics by driving migration of animals and disease carriers such as mosquitoes. In January, scientists behind the Doomsday Clock cited this effect — along with the proliferation of high-containment biological laboratories and risk of bio-warfare — as one reason they fear humanity is edging closer to annihilation.
If he had to guess, Sir Peter’s money would be on flu as the next big threat. He said: “There’s this massive diversity of influen...
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Daily Express (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 21, 2025