Co-creator of the AstraZeneca vaccine/Barbie muse Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert has warned that future pandemics could be worse than COVID. Yesterday, she called for greater funding for preparedness, saying the knowledge that has been gained over the last 2 years “must not be lost”. She also warned that current COVID vaccines could be ineffective against Omicron and urged “caution” until more is known about the strain. US infectious diseases expert Dr Anthony Fauci takes a more optimistic view – he says Omicron appears to be less dangerous than the Delta strain. The new variant has not deterred Queensland from opening its border to vaccinated Aussies on 13 December – 4 days ahead of schedule. The Sunshine State is a small banana away from 80% of the eligible population being fully vaxxed.