The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over and the next one could be worse, according to one of the scientists behind the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. “This will not be the last time a virus threatens our lives and our livelihoods,” said Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert in excerpts released before a speech on Monday. “The truth is the next one could be worse. It could be more contagious, or more lethal, or both.” The scientific advances made in fighting deadly viruses “must not be lost” because of the cost of fighting the current pandemic, she said while delivering this year’s Richard Dimbleby Lecture, named in honor of the late broadcaster. Gilbert, a University of Oxford vaccinology professor who developed the COVID-19 vaccine used in more than 170 countries with her team, warned that a future pandemic could be deadlier. “We cannot allow a situation where we have gone through all we …