Bill Gates Eerily Predicted A ‘Highly Infectious Virus” Would Happen Just A Few Years Ago
In just a matter of weeks, a coronavirus that first emerged in China has virulently spread around the world, causing outbreaks in Italy, South Korea, and the United States, among other places. Many people did not see it coming and could never have guessed something like this would happen, but Bill Gates would probably say otherwise.
He predicted in 2015 that a “highly infectious virus” would sweep the world and cause a global catastrophe — just like what’s going on now with this latest outbreak.
What exactly did Bill Gates say?
Gates had been speaking at a Ted Talk when he started talking about the greatest risk to the public.
“When I was a kid, the disaster we worried about most was a nuclear war,” he began. But that was no longer the case, he said. Gates stated that the greatest risk of a global catastrophe was biological.
“If anything kills over 10 million people in the next few decades, it’s most likely to be a highly infectious virus rather than a war,” he continued. “Not missiles, but microbes.”
“Now, part of the reason for this is that we’ve invested a huge amount in nuclear deterrence, but we’ve actually invested very little in a system to stop an epidemic. We’re not ready for the next epidemic,” Gates added.
Unfortunately, there weren’t very many investments in said systems following Gates’ speech. In fact, over the past couple of years, the Trump Administration has cut funding and programs to fight global health matters.
But amid the recent outbreak, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency to free up billions of dollars to fight against the coronavirus, so that’s at least something. Gates has also chipped in, donating millions of dollars to combat the outbreak.
People are taking serious precautions to protect themselves from coronavirus
As the virus continues to spread and cause panic around the world, people have been taking steps to prevent themselves from catching it. These precautions include staying away from people with cold symptoms, avoiding large crowds, and practicing good hygiene.
Some people have even taken more extreme measures — such as model Naomi Campbell, who shared photos on March 10 of herself wearing a hazmat suit at the airport.
The same day, Howie Mandel was seen donning a similar suit with a gas mask and goggles while on his way to the America’s Got Talent set.
Celebrities with coronavirus
For the most part, celebrities have avoided the virus, which has affected more than 100,000 people globally. But a few weren’t so lucky.
Tom Hanks was the first star to announce that he had the bug, writing on Instagram during the week of March 8 that he and his wife, Rita, were exposed to it during a trip to Australia.
From there, it was announced that three NBA players also had the virus, including Detroit Pistons’ Christian Wood and Utah Jazz stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell. Wood is the most recent celebrity to be diagnosed with coronavirus.
As the virus continues to swirl, here’s a full list of steps you can take to protect yourself. Hopefully, this’ll all be over soon.
