It all started back in 2015 when Bill Gates appeared at a TED conference in Vancouver where he talked about how a virus is going to kill over 10 million people in the next few decades. Back then, several media houses reported it but it largely went unheard.
But now, Bill Gates TED talk video is watched over 30 million people on YouTube as many think that Gates knew about the coronavirus and how it is going to put the entire world on standstill.
Bill Gates has responded via Business Insider to this outrageous claims and stated that "It's almost hard to deny this stuff because it's so stupid or strange that even to repeat it gives it credibility."
Gates stated this month that he has funded vaccine development efforts by AstraZeneca Plc., Johnson & Johnson and Novavax Inc. Through their charity arm Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, they have pledged more than $350 million towards nCoV research.
Following the reports that Gates has donated a whopping amount in research and development, several conspiracy theorists spread misinformation that the billionaire is somehow behind this virus attack and wish to make a lot of money out of it.
Many conspiracy theorists even claimed that Gates wants to implant a tracking microchip in people and that is why he wants everyone to get a vaccine. For this, Gates stated that he has never been involved in any sort of microchip type thing. He called all these conspiracies stupid and strange.
While addressing this issue, Gates stated that it is "good to know which kids have had a measles vaccine and which have not," while adding that since they also work towards the healthcare system, they saw the risk of a global outbreak and talked about it.
Still, as per a survey done by Yahoo News and YouGov, around 28 percent of American still believe all the conspiracy theories. In addition to this, 44 percent of Republicans also thought that conspiracy theories are true.
As per Gates, though it is very concerning that so many people believe the false claims but it has not prevented governments and other groups from funding COVID-19 vaccine development efforts.
"The world needs to work together to develop safe and effective vaccines and make sure that we scale up the manufacturing so we can get them out to those need them the most, not necessarily those who can pay the most," he said.
If these were not enough, Gates was blamed for pursuing vaccine research 'to control people's minds' using 5G radio waves. There are many who think that 5G is somehow responsible for coronavirus.
One of the very first versions of this 5G conspiracy theory claimed that it was no coincidence that 5G technology was trialed in Wuhan city of China. However, it should be noted that the 5G was being rolled out in a number of other locations, proving this claim completely false. That being said, many even claimed that the complete lockdown from around the world was put into effect because the government wanted to install 5G technology. Many went on to spread the news that 5G radiation weakens people's immune systems, making them prone to get infected by COVID-19.
While talking to Bloomberg, Gates stated: "They take the fact that I'm involved with vaccines and they just reverse it, so instead of giving money to save lives, I'm making money to get rid of lives. If that stops people from taking a vaccine or looking at the latest data about wearing a mask, then it's a big problem."
Gates on America's Take on COVID-19
Ever since WHO issued health warning and called coronavirus a pandemic, all the developed and developing nations have come together to find a vaccine. Gates too came forward and talked about the US Government's efforts to combat nCoV.
"You're paying billions of dollars in this very inequitable way to get the most worthless test results of any country in the world," Gates said during his interview with CNN. "No other country has this testing insanity."
Gates further talked about how early missteps by the American government has put everyone in crisis.
"It's mind-blowing that you can't get the government to improve the testing because they just want to say how great it is," Gates said.
