Migrant workers from other states stand in a crowded, congested queue to collect food ration handed by the Worli police personnel in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Short-sightedness while surveilling for potentially threatening infections, and failure to maintain transparency at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, led to humanitys failure in preventing the viral disease from becoming a pandemic, according to two world-renowned, leading virologists.

The Weather Channel, in a live session, spoke to Dr Bellur S Prabhakar, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, and Senior Associate Dean for Research, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago; and Dr Polly Roy, Professor of Virology in London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK about everything related to past and future of novel coronavirus.

When asked if anyone had seen such a large-scale pandemic coming, Dr Prabhakar explained: In the scientific community, it is extremely well known that virus pandemics are inescapable, and are likely to occur periodically.

Therefore, the world at large is trying its best to conduct active surveillance, which involves constantly looking out for potential infectious agents that can create global calamities like the one we are seeing right now.

Unfortunately, the governments are somewhat short-sighted, and they dont always invest sufficient time, energy, and financial resources to keep this active surveillance effective and uninterrupted. And when you fail to maintain active surveillance, infections can creep up on you, and suddenly get out of control. Thats what happened in the ongoing pandemic.

Dr Prabhakar has a broad experience in virology, immunology, and public health, and has been extensively working on autoimmune diseases for over 30 years.

Along with the lack of surveillance to detect the infection, the lack of transparency at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, and the failure to distribute information on the virus widely and immediately also cost us dearly in the fight against this pandemic, adds Dr. Dr. Polly Roy.

Not getting the information very quickly cost us this time. Had we known from the beginning about the possibility of human-to-human transmission, then we would have taken apt precautions from the beginning, she said.

Recognising her contributions to virology research, Dr Roy has been conferred multiple awards and recognition, including the Indian Science Congress General President's Gold Medal, awarded by the Prime Minister of India and an Officer of the Order of the British Empire award, presented by the Queen. She is even involved with the development of vaccine for COVID-19, which can be a reality within next 12 to 18 months.

Both experts, however, remain optimistic about the future! If we learn from our past experiences, become more transparent about information, improve funding for research on infectious diseases, and make huge investments in public health systems worldwide, humanity will collectively become more equipped to successfully tackle such pandemics in the future, they conclude.

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TWC Discourse: Why Humanity Failed to Prevent COVID-19 Pandemic Despite Knowing About Its Possibility - The Weather Channel