Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates responded to a series of questions on the coronavirus on Twitter, and his responses could point to a more controllable 2022 for a world tired of dealing with surge after surge. Devi Sridhar, director of Global Health Governance at the University of Edinburgh Medical School in Scotland, requested Twitter users to submit questions for Gates to answer.
She inquired, “How and when will the pandemic be over?” “Is omicron demonstrating that we can “live with COVID”? Or will there be other harmful variants in 2022?”
Gates recognized the omicron variant’s dire effects, particularly on the unvaccinated.
“Countries’ health systems will be tested as they suffer omicron waves. Unvaccinated persons will make up the majority of the severe cases “he penned But there is reason to be hopeful.
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And, following omicron, is there a more contagious variant lying somewhere? Gates isn’t sure but isn’t eager to commit his money on it.
“A more transmissive variant is expected,” he added. “However, we have been shocked a lot throughout this pandemic.” “For at least the next year, Omicron will generate a lot of immunity. For the time being, we may have to take COVID shots once a year.”
“Once omicron has passed through a country, there should be far fewer cases for the rest of the year, allowing COVID to be treated more like seasonal flu,” Gates added.
Where did the COVID-19 virus originate?
“The data is fairly convincing that it came from another species,” Gates adding that this is true for most pandemics. “People will continue to speculate, and we must ensure that labs are cautious. Other species will cause outbreaks in the future, therefore we must invest in being prepared.”
Sridhar also questioned Gates about the pandemic’s conspiracy ideas and misinformation. He’s been linked to a slew of fake coronavirus reports.
He wrote, “People like you and me, as well as Tony Fauci, have been subjected to a lot of misinformation.” “That surprised me. Some of it makes no sense to me, such as me placing chips in my arms; why would I want to do that?”
Better and longer-lasting vaccines, according to Gates, would be the most significant scientific development that would aid at the end of the pandemic.
“Our vaccines are quite effective at preventing serious disease and death,” he said, “but they are lacking in two important areas.” “To begin with, they continue to allow infections (‘breakthroughs’), though the duration appears to be short. We require immunizations that prevent reinfection and last for many years.”
“A few countries, such as Australia, responded quickly to diagnose instances on a large scale and quarantine sick people,” Gates added. “They were able to drastically reduce the number of deaths. It is too late once a country’s population reaches a certain size. As a result, the first several months were crucial.”
“I still believe the pandemic can be over in 2022 if we take the appropriate approaches,” Gates remarked at the time.
