Inside secret Porton Down lab with TV doc Michael Mosley Britain is leading world in hunt for vaccine

demic exactly like this one. People have been worrying about it for years.”

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses known to cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. MERS and SARS were contained in the Middle East and Asia and did not affect the UK – and Michael claims this led to complacency. He said: “They looked like they were going to be bad then they weren’t. Because of that people got complacent. So when Covid happened we were ill-prepared.”

Michael said there is still a huge threat from further bugs. “There’s more like this one out there,” he said. “The rate at which these viruses are emerging is accelerating. There’s no doubt in my mind this is the first of others coming down the track. Hopefully we’ll be better prepared for next time.

Tests carried out at Porton Down will

provide the key to ending lockdown as we learn how many of us have already had the virus, how common are asymptomatic carriers and how much immunity we have after having the virus.

Michael said: “It’s a huge triumph for science. We’re so much better placed to take on a threat like this compared to five years ago.”

Michael, who suspects he and his wife Clare had Covid-19 in March after exhibiting mild symptoms, says those who have had the virus should be protected.

“From the evidence I’ve seen, there’s a reasonable chance that people who have had Covid are immune,” he said.

“The more I’ve learnt about it the more optimistic I am that we will find solutions. Our immune system will respond to it.”

Coronavirus: A Horizon Special, Tuesday, BBC Two, 9pm.