Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Microsoft boss Bill Gates has warned of the likelihood of an even more fatal and transmissive variant of Covid-19, and that the worst of the pandemic may yet come.
The pandemic is far from over, he said, as he stressed the need for increased global surveillance against the scourge, according to a report in the Financial Times.
The 66-year-old, world-renowned philanthropist and the fourth richest person on the planet with a net worth of about USD 135 billion, said although he did not want to be seen as pessimistic, the risk of a more virulent Covid-19 variant is over 5 percent.
“We’re still at the risk of this pandemic generating a variant that would be even more transmissive and even more fatal,” it quoted him as saying.
“It’s not likely and I don’t want to be a voice of doom and gloom, but it’s way above a 5 percent risk that this pandemic, we haven’t even seen the worst of it,” he added.
This is not the first time that the Microsoft founder, who also authored a book on How to Prevent the Next Pandemic, has warned of a potential global threat posed by viruses.
Way back in 2015, Gates first cautioned publicly that the “world was not ready for the inevitable next pandemic” and that viruses, not war, pose the biggest risk of a “global catastrophe”.
He also called for renewed efforts with greater investments into global surveillance of viruses, which has slowed down in several countries because of the current decline in Covid cases.
Gates has suggested the creation of a team of international experts, from epidemiologists to computer modelers, to quickly spot global health threats and improve coordination between the countries.
This would cost around USD 1billion and could be managed by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Amid the 67-day-old war between Russia and Ukraine, Gates urged global leaders not to lose sight of the health crisis. He called for greater investment to prevent pandemics in the future and stressed an urgent need for longer-lasting vaccines that blocked infection.