In his testimony to a public inquiry, former British Prime Minister David Cameron acknowledged that his government made a mistake by prioritizing preparations for a potential flu pandemic

while neglecting to consider other types of pandemics, including the COVID-19 outbreak that occurred later.

Cameron, who served as Prime Minister from 2010 to 2016, became the first politician to be questioned as part of the comprehensive inquiry into the UK's readiness for the coronavirus pandemic. The inquiry aims to assess the government's response to the crisis and draw lessons for future situations.

With one of the highest COVID-19 death tolls in Europe, recording nearly 227,000 deaths linked to the virus, the UK faced significant challenges during the pandemic. Under oath, Cameron admitted that officials during his tenure were overly focused on the risks of an influenza pandemic and failed to consider the potential outbreak of highly infectious respiratory diseases.

He expressed regret, stating, "So much time was spent on a pandemic influenza, and that was seen as the greatest danger." Cameron acknowledged that the government did examine other pandemics, such as MERS and SARS, but failed to ask enough questions about asymptomatic transmission and other highly infectious respiratory diseases that turned out to be significant factors in the COVID-19 pandemic.

While Cameron recognized that many countries faced uncertainties regarding the nature of the forthcoming pandemic, he argued that the UK fared relatively better in terms of planning and preparedness.

Cameron also addressed accusations that austerity measures implemented during his leadership had weakened the UK's National Health Service (NHS) and made it more vulnerable to the pandemic. He rejected these claims, emphasizing that the country's response to COVID-19 should not be solely attributed to past austerity policies.

The public inquiry, led by a retired judge, is expected to take three years to complete. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was in power during the pandemic, agreed to initiate the probe in late 2021 after significant pressure from bereaved families.

In the coming days, other prominent politicians, including Treasury Chief Jeremy Hunt and Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, will also testify before the inquiry. The pandemic and the UK government's handling of the crisis have once again become prominent topics in the media, particularly after a recent report accused Johnson of deliberately misleading Parliament regarding lockdown-defying gatherings at his office. Photo by Valsts kanceleja/ State Chancellery from Rīga, Latvija, Wikimedia commons.