[jfman]

Originally Posted by nomadking

Here we go again.........
Before 2020, an independent report judged the UK as being the 2nd best country in the world for being prepared for a pandemic.

Yes indeed - here we go again.

I assume you mean the Global Health Security Index which ranked the United States the number 1 ranked to respond. Without knowing their full methodology it's impossible to know if their analysis was inadequate or the political leadership in both countries.

Another independent report identified that the UK had a large store of supplies ready for a pandemic.
Which country had enough PPE?
Government funded research was being done using the MERS virus to develop a vaccine for it, to test the methodology for something similar coming along. That is how Oxford University managed to get a vaccine so quickly. They were effectively working on it before COVID 19 actually appeared.
Government funding was also being used to make the UK more self-sufficient on vaccine production.
Of course all those things don't get reported by the media as it doesn't suit the agenda.

I don't dispute that Government funding was a huge part of vaccine provision - contrary to BoJo's claims it's a huge demonstration of what states can achieve that the private sector cannot.