A coronavirus variant "that escapes immunity" could take the world by surprise again, Sir Patrick Vallance has warned. Speaking at a virtual Royal Society conference, the Government's chief scientific adviser for England also said there will be future pandemics which look very different to the current one.
He said: "It's very obvious to everyone in this meeting that there will be a future pandemic. That I think is clear. What's it is going to be, we have no idea.
"It's also clear this one is not over and we've got very high infection rates at the moment. And the room for this virus to evolve remains very large, so we could be taken by surprise again with a variant that escapes immunity."
Sir Patrick's words come as free Covid testing comes to an end for many people in England tomorrow. The Health Secretary has insisted people must "learn to live with Covid" as campaigners criticised the move.
Sajid Javid told reporters it was right to "focus resources" on those people who still most needed testing, including some hospital patients and those at a high risk of severe Covid. Free testing comes to an end of Friday for most people, who will need to shop on the high street for paid-for tests if they want them.
Mr Javid told reporters: "We are one of the most open and free countries in the world now, and that's because of decisions that we've taken as a country... and it is right also as we learn to live with Covid that we withdraw free testing - universally... if it's not needed anymore, but we focus those resources on the people that need it most. And that's what we're doing."
Carers UK and the Alzheimer's Society are among those who have criticised the move, with the latter saying it "risks gambling" with the lives of people living with dementia in care homes.
