Covid 19 coronavirus: 'Highest stakes question' - predicting the next pandemic 22 Apr, 2021 04:04 AM 3 minutes to read The Covid-19 pandemic has left more than three million people dead, and infected more than 141 million, since it began in late 2019. Photo / AP The Covid-19 pandemic has left more than three million people dead, and infected more than 141 million, since it began in late 2019. Photo / AP Pinpointing exactly where the world's next pandemic stems from will be a "futile" exercise until we collect vast amounts of more data, a leading virologist says. Most viruses that cause disease humans come from other animals - and these so-called "zoonotic" pathogens have triggered epidemics and pandemics in humans for centuries.