Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates has warned that the Covid pandemic is far from over, with the worst yet to come.
Gates made these remarks during an exclusive talk with the Financial Times.
Humanity at risk
He quoted that we're still at risk of a variant arising from this pandemic that is even more transmissible and lethal. He also made it clear that there's a lot more than a 5 percent chance that this epidemic hasn't even reached its peak.
Gates also urged for redoubling efforts and increased spending on worldwide virus surveillance, which has been halted by a number of countries due to a drop in fresh infections.
Gates has called for the formation of an international team of experts, ranging from epidemiologists to computer modellers, to promptly identify global health problems and improve international coordination. This would cost roughly $1 billion, according to him, and would be controlled by the World Health Organization (WHO), according to the report.
In the midst of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Gates asked world leaders to keep the health crisis in mind. He requested for more money to be utilised in preventing future pandemics. He also stated that longer-lasting vaccines that prevent infection were urgently needed, citing the present epidemic as a threat.
This isn't the first time Gates has cautioned about viruses posing a worldwide threat. He initially publicly warned in 2015 that the "world was not ready for the inevitable next pandemic" and that viruses, not war, posed the greatest threat of "global catastrophe."
Covid is not over yet
The comments from Gates come at a time when several countries including China are facing a fresh wave of infections.
Despite a zero-tolerance policy, China reported over 6,000 fresh infections in the last 24 hours, which medical experts consider the biggest outbreak in the Asian country. According to the latest updates, over 21 crore people and 26 cities are still under lockdown in China.
