Patrick Vallance wants special pandemic advisory group set-up in wake of Covid

Sir Patrick Vallance wants a special pandemic advisory group to be set up in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Addressing the Covid research today, the government’s ex-chief scientific adviser said the proposed pandemic preparedness center should include economists.

His suggestion follows criticism that the advice given to No10 on the pandemic failed to assess the financial cost of lockdown.

Sir Patrick said the inclusion of economists would help assess the “difficult compromises that occur” during a pandemic emergency.

He said many different models are being looked at, but he prefers a “hub and spoke” model.

Speaking at the Covid inquiry, Britain’s chief medical officer Sir Chris Whitty apologized for his quick reactions and admitted ‘my enthusiasm is running away with me’

This would, in theory, provide a single physical base for research that would extend to many universities integrating different disciplines.

He added that individual academics wouldn’t devote all their time to pandemics, but a range of specialists could give 10 percent to create an overall “critical mass.”

He called the proposed idea “beneficial” for the UK and said it would be an important part of integrating new challenges.

His comments followed those of Sir Chris Whitty, the government’s chief medical adviser, who also gave evidence at the inquiry today.

Sir Chris was also questioned on how to better incorporate economic advice into the evidence presented to the government during pandemics.

He warned against any token inclusion of economists in the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), which provided expert advice to ministers on health issues during the pandemic.

“If you had two economists on SAGE, you wouldn’t be in a situation where SAGE suddenly became an extremely proficient body economically,” he said.

“It would be a competent, scientific body with two economists in it that I don’t think answers really useful questions.”

While estimates vary, the analysis suggests the lockdown may have cost the nation £500 million in lost output each day.

During today’s inquiry, Sir Chris was also repeatedly told by officials to slow down while testifying about the country’s preparedness for the pandemic.

The inquiry’s lead attorney, Hugo Keith KC, said: ‘May I – my apologies – ask you to slow down your answers a little.

“While, I may say, your evidence is wonderfully clear, it is difficult to transcribe,” he added.

Sir Chris apologized and said, ‘My enthusiasm is running away with me.’

The inquiry’s chair, Baroness Hallett, also noted that the probe’s stenographers are “looking in panic.”

It came just after he criticized the abuse of the country’s top scientists during the pandemic.

He called the abuse against the independent experts on SAGE “extremely worrying.”

He also told the probe that the UK should be “very firm” in saying it “appreciates the work of these people”.

As many as 70 witnesses will contribute to the first module on pandemic preparedness.

Ex-Health Secretary Matt Hancock, and former First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon, and UK Health Security Agency chief executive Dame Jenny Harries will be among the witnesses next week.

Mr Hancock is expected to testify on Tuesday, while Ms Sturgeon and her former deputy John Swinney will appear on Thursday.

Dame Jenny, a former deputy head of medical services for England, will also appear on Monday.

The first module lasts six weeks, until July 20. The probe is not expected to be completed until 2026.

A separate Scottish Covid-19 study chaired by Lord Brailsford looks at the pandemic response in devolved areas in Scotland.

The First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford, has said he and the Welsh Government are fully committed to the inquiry, although they argue Wales is not required to hold its own inquiry.