Sarah Gilbert, one of the creators of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

Baltimore, December 9 (RHC)-- As COVID-19 cases continue to surge across Europe, North America and South Africa, a new report finds the world is dangerously unprepared for the next pandemic. 

Researchers at Johns Hopkins and the Global Health Security Index scored every country on its ability to prevent, detect and respond to health emergencies; no country scored above 76 on a scale of one to 100.

Sarah Gilbert, one of the creators of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, told reporters: “The truth is the next one could be worse.  It could be more contagious or more lethal, or both.  We cannot allow a situation where we have gone through all we have gone through and then find that the enormous economic losses we have sustained mean that there is still no funding for pandemic preparedness.”

On Wednesday, UNICEF warned the coronavirus pandemic has posed the greatest threat to children in 75 years, reversing progress on education, hunger, healthcare, poverty, abuse and forced marriage.