In a rather controversial post, Bill Gates talks about preparing for the 'next pandemic' as if he knows when it's going to happen and what people must do to counter its effects when it comes.
According to the billionaire philanthropist "scientific tools alone are not enough," The Gateway Pundit reported.
"When it comes to preventing pandemics, scientific tools alone aren't enough. We also need new capabilities, including a global alert system and infectious disease first responders," Gates shared.
In an interesting video full of the "new capabilities" he mentioned, Gates himself looked like a professor complete with models of the virus and miniatures of first responders over an illuminated world map table explaining the science of how the pandemic happened and what people must do to "return to the way things were before COVID-19."
According to Gates, all people want to return to normal, but not the world's "complacency about pandemics."
One of the things that Gates mentioned is the presence of mega testing diagnostic platforms which "can be deployed quickly, cost very low and test 20 percent of the entire population every week."
If such platforms were to exist, Gates believes that "we can get ahead of infectious disease outbreaks by the next pandemic."
Another interesting comment from the Microsoft co-founder is the presence of faster and more effective treatments. Like an expert on the subject, Gates went on how "manufactured antibodies" are as effective as the body's immune system to kill the coronavirus with an 80 percent efficacy.
"We also want to get treatments out far faster the next time. One of the most promising is monoclonal antibodies. These manufactured antibodies grab on to the virus and disable it just like your immune system and can reduce death rate by as much as 80 percent," explained Gates.
The entrepreneur went on to explain how he "thinks" that "new vaccines" will be developed quickly with the help of the new mRNA platform which is "faster to develop, easier to store and lower cost" and calls it a huge breakthrough since everyone in the world is now looking for a cure to stop the spread of COVID and the pandemic it caused globally.
Gates also discussed that to spot disease outbreaks quickly a global alert system is required to "stop future pandemics quickly" calling them a "pandemic fire squad."
"To stop future pandemics quickly we need to be able to spot disease outbreaks as soon as they happen anywhere in the world and that requires a global alert system. If there turns out to be some 'new' infectious pathogen, then we need a group of infectious disease responders to spring into action. Think of this as like pandemic firefighters. They're going to use their logistics, use their ability to build up capacity quickly wherever that problem is."
The tech magnate ended his almost 2-minute video saying that "stopping the next pandemic will require a big investment" but that the world must think of it as "the best insurance policy" in light of what's currently happening.
To date, the video has garnered over 780 thousand views on Twitter. Watch it below:
When it comes to preventing pandemics, scientific tools alone aren’t enough. We also need new capabilities, including a global alert system and infectious disease first responders (or what I like to call a pandemic fire squad): https://t.co/53Rf5uvjub pic.twitter.com/rTmM7STl6U
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) February 1, 2021
Also, here is the full transcript of the one minute and 50 second video.
We all want to return to the way things were before covid19. But there's one area where I hope we never go back: our complacency about pandemics.
We can get ahead of infectious disease outbreaks. By the next pandemic, I believe we can have what we call mega testing diagnostic platforms. They can be deployed quickly, cost very low and test 20 percent of the entire population every week.
We also want to get treatments out far faster the next time. One of the most promising is monoclonal antibodies. These manufactured antibodies grab on to the virus and disable it just like your immune system and can reduce death rate by as much as 80 percent.
I also think that we'll develop new vaccines quickly in large part due to this new MRNA platform. mRNA will become faster to develop, easier to store and lower cost. That's a huge breakthrough.
To stop future pandemics quickly we need to be able to spot disease outbreaks as soon as they happen anywhere in the world and that requires a global alert system. If there turns out to be some 'new' infectious pathogen, then we need a group of infectious disease responders to spring into action. Think of this as like pandemic firefighters. They're going to use their logistics, use their ability to build up capacity quickly wherever that problem is.
Stopping the next pandemic will require a big investment. I think of these as the best insurance policy the world could buy. You can read more about these in our annual letter.