New Delhi: Three years after the COVID-19 pandemic shook up the world, the coronavirus and its variants have still not been completely uprooted.
Having caused 6.89 million deaths across the globe, the spread of infections has slowed down significantly since 2022 and the world is gradually returning to normalcy.
However, a recent report has warned of another pandemic in the next 10 years.
According to predictive health analytics firm Airfinity, the next pandemic could be as deadly as COVID-19.
There is a 27.5% chance of a pandemic hitting the world as viruses emerge more frequently, the London-based firm stated.
However, if effective vaccines are rolled out within 100 days of the discovery of a new pathogen, the likelihood of a deadly pandemic drops to 8.1%, according to Airfinity’s model.
The best way to control outbreak of any contagious disease is a “robust pandemic preparedness system” across the world.
“A robust pandemic preparedness system is the world’s insurance against a COVID-19 like pandemic or something even worse. We have calculated the real risks, but also the potential risk reduction that can be achieved. This can help inform decision makers to the level of ongoing pre-emptive investment in the space to keep people safe,” Airfinity’s CEO and co-founder Rasmus Bech Hansen said.
The risk of the pandemic is triggered by climate change, growth in international travel, increasing populations and threat posed by zoonotic diseases, Airfinity’s report said.
In a worst-case scenario, 15,000 people may die in the UK in a day because of a bird flu-type virus that mutates to allow human-to-human transmission, Airfinity said.
