How Bill Gates Thinks We Should Prepare for the Next Pandemic
In a recent interview, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, a longtime advocate for pandemic preparedness, gave concrete suggestions for steps we should be taking.
What to know:
Gates called for billions of dollars to be invested in global research to prepare for the next pandemic and address the weaknesses that the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed.
In an interview with former UK health secretary Jeremy Hunt, Gates — who has long suggested world leaders must better prepare for deadly global diseases — advocated for funding aimed at improving vaccines, treatments, and diagnostic tests.
Areas he suggested focusing on included reducing the cost of vaccines, creating large factories to manufacture them, and eradicating common viruses like influenza and the common cold.
He also recommended the creation of a WHO pandemic task force to monitor for pandemics and run “germ games” — competitions where countries could practice responses to epidemic outbreaks and bioterrorism events.
Due to the immense loss of life and the economic impact from the COVID-19 pandemic, Gates expressed that the world’s citizens will expect governments take steps so that the same outcomes don’t repeat themselves.
This is a summary of the article “Bill Gates calls for huge global effort to prepare for future pandemics” published by The Guardian on November 3. The full article can be found on theguardian.com.
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