Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates gave an in-depth interview Wired where he shared his thoughts on COVID-19 and revealed that he believes the pandemic will end for the rich world by the end of 2021 and for the developing world by the end of 2022.
RELATED: BILL GATES HOSTS REDDIT AMA TO TALK ABOUT COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
“The innovation pipeline on scaling up diagnostics, on new therapies, on vaccines is actually quite impressive. And that makes me feel, for the rich world, we should have to end this thing for the most part by the end of 2021,” and for the world at the very end of 2022, ”Gates said.
Gates also shared his disappointment with the way the US had handled the pandemic, ranging from the fact that the country “made it harder for the commercial testing companies to get their tests approved” after the travel ban that came too late.
Gates said he was surprised by the turn of events, because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) employs some of the most intelligent people in epidemiology. Despite his disappointment, the philanthropist said it was vital to put that on the page and focus on tackling the pandemic at the moment.
Gates also expressed concern that nations like Russia and China are moving too fast in developing a vaccine and perhaps bringing something to market that is not really safe. “In China and Russia, they are advancing at a rapid pace. I bet there will be some faxes that will get to many patients without full regulatory control anywhere in the world,” he said.
Gates said at least three or four months of phase 3 data were only required to look for side effects and praised the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for sticking to the requirement of proof of effectiveness.
Finally, Gates focused on what it was like to spread false information about him, such as using faxes to implant microchips. He addressed how ridiculous that statement was, but remained mostly focused on the importance of tackling the COVID-19 pandemic efficiently and effectively.
.
