Another pandemic will threaten human lives and could be “more contagious” and “more lethal”, one of the Oxford AstraZeneca Covid vaccine inventors has warned.

Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert, delivering the 44th prestigious Richard Dimbleby Lecture, said the scientific advances made in research against fighting deadly viruses “must not be lost”. This will not be the last time a virus threatens our lives and our livelihoods. The truth is, the next one could be worse. It could be more contagious, or more lethal, or both, according to Professor Dame. “The advances we have made, and the knowledge we have gained, must not be lost.”

The Oxford professor is credited with saving millions of lives through her role in designing the coronavirus vaccine. She has been making and testing vaccines for more than 10 years, mainly using antigens from malaria and influenza, and initiated the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine project in early 2020 when Covid-19  first emerged in China. The vaccine developed by her team is used in more than 170 countries around the world.

Speaking about the Omicron variant, Dame Sarah added: “The spike protein of this variant contains mutations already known to increase transmissibility of the virus. “But there are additional changes that may mean antibodies induced by the vaccines, or by infection with other variants, may be less effective at preventing infection with Omicron. Until we know more, we should be cautious, and take steps to slow down the spread of this new variant.“