Bill Gates also emphasised the importance of a building a “global warning and response system for pandemic” in order to prevent such an outbreak in the future.
A 2015 video of Bill Gates predicting the spread of a highly infectious virus has resurfaced and is being widely shared as the world grapples with the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19. The co-founder of Microsoft made the prediction during a Ted Talk soon after the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
Warning that the next outbreak would be much worse, he said: “The world is simply not prepared to deal with a disease, an especially virulent flu, for example, that infects large numbers of people very quickly.”
“Of all the things that could kill 10 million people or more, by far the most likely is an epidemic,” he said.
Gates also emphasised the importance of a building a “global warning and response system for pandemic” in order to prevent such an outbreak in the future.
Watch the video here:
Many who came across the video agreed that the billionaire was among those who had predicted something like this, but wasn’t heeded. Take a look at some reactions here:
Wow
— J (@jeslllll) March 15, 2020
This is suspicious he didn’t predict its like he knew eish I’m confused 🤔
— MacGyver🎸🇿🇦 (@Macgyve47572165) March 16, 2020
SARS was a Coronoavirus as well in 2003.
— Long Tail (@LongTai45161322) March 16, 2020
Most insightful
— Nao Faz Mal (@NFasmal) March 15, 2020
Because he was part of the creative team….
— Njabulo (@Njabulo92182277) March 16, 2020
I’m starting to think Corona virus is a method to minimise the population rate
— TRUTH CONSUMPTION.FACTS INTAKE👊🏾 (@TruthIntake) March 15, 2020
Am I wrong in thinking he has shares in the business developing the anti virus?
— Nic Campher (@CampherNic) March 15, 2020
On March 14, the 64-year-old announced that he is stepping down from Microsoft board to focus more on philanthropy, and said that he plans to dedicate more time to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Apart from the $100 million Bill and Melinda Gates Children’s Vaccine Program which aims to accelerate access to new vaccines for children in developing nations, the foundation recently pledged $50 million to help researchers develop a treatment for the virus outbreak. The fund is a part of its $100 million commitment to the COVID-19 response announced last month.
The coronavirus outbreak, which was first detected in the Chinese province of Wuhan, has so far claimed more than 7,000 lives while infecting more than 150,000 people globally.
Meanwhile in India, Coronavirus claimed a third life in India Tuesday as a 64-year-old man, who was tested positive in Maharashtra, passed away at Kasturba Hospital. The total number of positive cases in India rose to 125. (Click here for LIVE UPDATES).
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