Bill Gates has hit out against his critics who believe vaccines aren't a ‘miracle’.
While sitting down with The Guardian to promote his latest book, How to Prevent the Next Pandemic, the Microsoft co-founder spoke of anti-vaxxers and dispelled the rumour that he makes money from vaccinations.
He said: “Vaccines are a miracle. And it’s mind-blowing that somebody can say the opposite.
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“I’ve spent tens of billions on vaccines, I don’t make any money on vaccines. I have no idea why anybody would think that. I made my money on software.”
In August 2020, Gates and his ex-wife’s foundation donated USD$150 million to distribute vaccines, particularly to third-world countries, where the Covid-19 pandemic was accelerating rapidly.
The American business magnate handed his hefty donation to the Serum Institute, who is the largest manufacturer of vaccines worldwide.
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That donation helped produce 100 million doses of the vaccination, according to Forbes.
Additionally, in January this year, Gates donated a further USD $300 million to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to combat future threats of pandemics.
The donation is part of an initiative that will support the foundation’s goal of condensing the timeline of developing vaccines to 100 days - a third of the time it took to create the Covid-19 vaccine, according to their website.
In his interview with The Guardian, Gates also spoke of his new book, which talks about how the world should handle the next pandemic.
He also added that the book explores where the world went wrong while fighting the Covid-19 pandemic and how impoverished countries suffered the consequences.
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Gates said: “You need some background of what went right and what went wrong. Why did some countries have 10 times more deaths than others?
“There are all these claims about vaccines – are they the only tool that you need? Where did they fall short?
"And what about that first 100 days where you’re not going to have a vaccine: can you really stop transmission?”
Gates also shared that he would continue investing in pandemic research to reduce the likelihood of another massive deadly outbreak.
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“I hope that, at least for a few generations, we’d be quite vigilant and willing to invest the billions that I suggest to save the lives and save the trillions this one cost us,” he said.
Featured Image Credit: Alamy.Topics: Bill Gates, Health, Science