Bill Gates: "COVID Risk at Flu Level After Omicron Surge"

Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft (MS)
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft (MS), predicted that the risk of COVID-19 will drop to the level of seasonal flu following the Omicron pandemic.

According to CNBC on the 12th (local time), Gates said in a Twitter Q&A with Professor Devi Sridhar of the University of Edinburgh the day before, "After Omicron passes, there will be far fewer COVID-19 cases for the rest of this year." He has been engaged in charitable work in healthcare and welfare through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation after stepping down from MS management.

Gates stated, "Omicron will create widespread immunity for at least one year," and if herd immunity is maintained to some extent, COVID-19 could sufficiently enter the endemic stage. He added, "Just as people get vaccinated annually to prevent the flu, it may be necessary to receive a COVID-19 vaccine every year going forward."

Gates predicted that no highly contagious variants like Omicron will appear for the time being. He said, "I cannot be 100% certain, but the probability of a variant virus as transmissible as Omicron emerging is low," and claimed, "The vaccines currently being developed by pharmaceutical companies will be sufficient to respond to variants."

However, he expressed concern, saying, "Until we reach this stage, global healthcare systems will continue to be challenged by Omicron’s extremely strong transmissibility, and unvaccinated individuals will experience the most severe COVID-19 symptoms."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.