Microsoft founder Bill Gates slammed the anti-vaxxers for criticizing his efforts towards the development of a medicine for coronavirus, saying that if people don't take the vaccine, the disease will continue its killing spree.
Ever since the outbreak of the global pandemic, Gates has remained embroiled in conspiracy theories suggesting his role in the spread of the virus.
Need to Develop Herd Immunity When Vaccine Arrives
The billionaire philanthropist expressed his anger against the anti-vaxxers while speaking on Radio 4's Today program. 'It is troubling that in times like that, and accelerated by digital tools, there is so much craziness. Eventually, when we have the vaccine, we will want to develop the herd immunity to have over 80% of the population taken,' he said on the show, reported Metro.
"If they have heard that it is a plot, or vaccines in general are bad, and we don't have people willing to take the vaccine, then that will let the disease continue to kill people. So, it is a bit worrying that there is some of that crazy stuff," he went on to add.
"If you don't get a broad uptake [of the vaccine], then it wouldn't have the dramatic effect you want to have [where] the risk of reintroduction is so low that you can go back to having things like big sports events. The misinformation could hold us back at some point, but I wouldn't say that that's hurting us at this stage," Gates said, BGR reported.
Gates and his foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which he set up with his wife Melinda Gates, has also been accused of killing children in India with its polio vaccine. "We are just giving money away to get there to be a tool – we just write cheques to pharma companies (and) we happen to have a lot of the smart pharmaceutical expertise in our foundation, and are considered a fair broker between governments and the companies to help pick the best approach, he said.
Gates Says He Was Never Involved in 'Microchip Type Thing'
During the pandemic, a widely circulated conspiracy theory suggested that Gates will use a possible COVID-19 vaccine to implant monitoring microchips in people. In May, a Yahoo News/YouGov survey revealed that 28 percent of adult Americans believed in this conspiracy theory.
Debunking the theory and terming it bizarre, Gates said: "In a way, it's so bizarre you almost want to see it as something humorous but it's really not a humorous thing.
"I've never been involved in any microchip type thing. It is good to know which kids have had a measles vaccine and which have not, so there are data systems and... health records that people use to track that... but there's no chips or anything like that," Gates added, according to Wired.
