Covid-19: UK government failed to act on warnings about pandemic but got lucky with vaccine. The next major outbreak could be fungal, not viral – Professor Harry Burns

In 2019, the UK government was warned about the need to prepare for the health, social and economic consequences of a pandemic virus. The 2019 National Security Risk Assessment highlighted the need to stockpile essential equipment such as PPE, establish public health procedures for testing and tracing contacts, and preparing hospitals for an increase in demand. It even mentioned to possibility of a coronavirus pandemic. Planning was not implemented, and we were slow to get to grips with the emergency. The government has announced an inquiry into the handling of Covid-19. It will, I imagine, consider plans for minimising the impact of inevitable future pandemics.