Bill Gates compares fight against coronavirus to World War

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has compared the fight against coronavirus pandemic to a World War. "The coronavirus pandemic pits all of humanity against the virus. The damage to health, wealth, and well-being has already been enormous. This is like a world war, except in this case, we're all on the same side," he said.

Gates said, "Melinda and I grew up learning that World War II was the defining moment of our parents' generation. In a similar way, the COVID-19 pandemic-the first modern pandemic-will define this era. No one who lives through Pandemic will ever forget it." He added that low-income, minority workers have been severely hit due to the pandemic.

Gates's philanthropic organisation, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, last week donated $150 million towards the fight against coronavirus. The foundation had pledged $100 million earlier.

"I am often asked when large-scale vaccination will start. Like America's top public health officials, I say that it is likely to be 18 months, even though it could be as short as nine months or closer to two years. A key piece will be the length of the phase 3 trial, which is where the full safety and efficacy are determined," he said. Over 70 vaccines are being developed against COVID-19 across the world but scientists predict that it might take up to 12-18 months to successfully create a vaccine and start large scale production.

Talking about helping developing countries against the virus, Gates said, " Developing countries like India and Nigeria account for a small portion of the reported global infections. One of the priorities for our foundation has been to help ramp up the testing in these countries so they know their situation."

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