COVID-19 will not be eradicated by the end of 2022. But, the cases will be down to “very small numbers,” Bill Gates said.
Bill Gates has long expressed his thoughts and concerns about the pandemic. With the help of his nonprofit foundation, alongside his wife, he has been able to provide aid and assistance to various causes related to COVID-19.
Amid the continued efforts, though, the Microsoft founder recently shared his positive notes about the global crisis. He said that the world would not have “eradicated” the coronavirus by the end of 2022. But, the world will be “completely back to normal” by that time.
Speaking to Sky News, the business magnate and philanthropist credited his assertions to the increasing rate of COVID-10 vaccinations across the globe.
A vaccinated world by 2022
Bill Gates emphasized that this dynamic will continue on, considering the “high rollout rate of coronavirus jabs” in various countries. He is referencing the United States and the United Kingdom, adding that this helps “free up” doses to share with others.
He continued that these countries will “get to high vaccination levels” come the summer of this year. Accordingly, more COVID-19 vaccines will become available in other areas of the globe.
Gates, later on, expressed his belief that vaccines will be very apparent in all parts of the globe in the latter months of 2021. He also reportedly maintained that it would be deployed to the entire world throughout next year.
Vaccines distribution with Bill Gates’ foundation
Fox News said that Bill Gates has always stressed the importance of “distributing vaccines” to the rest of the world. Alongside this, he has continued to pledge tens of millions in the last few months to execute the effort through his foundation.
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has already contributed more than $1.7 billion to the global COVID-19 response. Based on reports, the efforts largely focus on the “delivery of COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines,” especially to the developing countries.
Preparations and concerns for future pandemic
Later in the same interview, the Microsoft founder urged the public to prepare for “future pandemic” crises. He pointed out that this should be a “top priority” among others.
Bill Gates argued, however, that he has some concern, as well, regarding the matter. He claimed that the world might forget as what happened after the Ebola outbreak. Even so, he remains positive that “this generation will remember” due to the overall devastation.
Images courtesy of (1)Greg Rubenstein/Flickr & (2)Dan G/Flickr