Bill Gates says COVID pandemic will end by 2022, world will be 'completely back to normal'

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has predicted the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic to be over by the end of 2022. During an interview with Polish news channel TVN24, Gates said the COVID-19 pandemic will be over by the end of next year, adding that the world would be back to normal by that time. Gates had correctly predicted a global health pandemic in 2015, where he had said the world is not ready for the next big outbreak. 

Gates is heavily invested in vaccine manufacturing and distribution all over the world through Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Gates has pledged a whopping $1.75 billion towards handling the global COVID-19 response. Gates’ organization is actively helping the World Health Organisation (WHO) in delivering vaccines to low- and middle-income countries via the UN health agency’s COVAX initiative. 

Gates warns of two new disasters

Last month, Gates warned the world about two new “disasters” waiting to grip humanity in the near future. Gates, while speaking to Derek Muller, host of the YouTube channel “Veritasium”, said “climate change” and “bioterrorism” could occur in the coming years and could wipe out millions of human beings from earth. Gates said bioterrorism is the most dangerous threat lurking out there because somebody, who wants to cause damage, could engineer a virus and spread it. 

Gates has been constantly urging governments to prepare for the next pandemic as they would do for war. Gates told Muller that there would be a constant threat of the “next pandemic hanging over our heads” unless the world takes steps to prevent it. Gates said in the future destruction could only be avoided if “pandemic preparedness” was taken as seriously as the threat of war. As far as the COVID-19 pandemic is concerned, the world has lost as many as 2.75 million people in just one year from the disease. Several countries have started vaccination programmes, but there are still many poorer nations that are yet to begin immunisation.   

(Image Credit: AP)