Bill Gates stated on Friday that the chance of serious disease from COVID-19 has "dramatically decreased," but a new pandemic is likely to occur.
Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, told CNBC's Hadley Gamble at Germany's annual Munich Security Conference that a hypothetical new pandemic would likely be caused by a disease other than the coronavirus family.
Gates: Omicron Variant Delivers More Immunity Than the Vaccines
However, he noted that if investments are made now, breakthroughs in medical technology could enable the world to do a better job of combating it. Gates said that the worst impacts of the coronavirus pandemic have faded after large swaths of the world population had developed some level of protection two years later. With the current Omicron variant, the severity has also decreased.
However, according to Gates, this is due to the virus itself, which generates immunity and has "done a better job of spreading out to the whole population than what we have with vaccinations" in many locations.
By mid-2022, Gates believes it will be "too late" to accomplish the World Health Organization's objective of vaccinating 70% of the world's population. Currently, at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine has been administered to 61.9 percent of the world's population.
He went on to say that the world should move quicker in developing and distributing vaccinations in the future and that countries should spend money today for it. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has teamed with the Wellcome Trust in the United Kingdom to provide $300 million to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, which helped develop the Covax vaccine delivery program in low- and middle-income countries. The CEPI hopes to fund $3.5 billion to reduce the time it takes to produce a new vaccine to only 100 days.
Bill Gates warned about pandemics worse than the present one a month ago when COVID-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant spread over the world. His remarks came as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust, a British biomedical charity, both contributed $150 million to CEPI in the battle against COVID-19 and to prepare for future pandemics.
During the Ebola epidemic, the worldwide cooperation CEPI was co-founded. It is a co-leader of Covax, a project to provide COVID-19 vaccinations throughout the underdeveloped countries. The CEPI also financed 14 vaccine studies, including the ones from AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Novavax, as per The Independent.
Gates encouraged nations to pay billions of dollars to prevent future pandemics from spreading, which might result in many more deaths than the COVID-19 pandemic. He went on to say that it was on philanthropists and wealthy countries to solve vaccine disparities, and he urged governments to do more.
Bill Gates Hopeful Polio Will End in Pakistan
Meanwhile, following a quick but fruitful visit to Pakistan, Bill Gates has expressed confidence in the country's ability to eradicate the polio virus soon. It's worth noting that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest donor to polio eradication in Pakistan and throughout the world.
Per Daily Times, during his visit to Islamabad on Thursday, the internet mogul praised Pakistan's polio-eradication efforts, saying that despite COVID-19 constraints, the government has done "great" work in eliminating the disease.
After several engagements, Gates arrived at the federal capital early in the morning and left the same evening. He met with senior government officials, including a one-on-one meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan and a National Task Force on Polio Eradication meeting.
On the fringes of the tour, the dignitary paid visits to the National Command and Operation Center and the National Command and Emergency Center headquarters, as well as attending a luncheon given by Prime Minister Imran Khan for federal ministers. Furthermore, President Arif Alvi presented Gates with the Hilal-e-Pakistan, Pakistan's second-highest civil honor, in appreciation of his distinguished services to Pakistan's people, notably in the fight against polio.
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