Billionaire Bill Gates, whose foundation – Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation – is actively contributing in the development and delivery of
COVID-19 vaccines, warned on Sunday that the coming four to six months could
bring the worst phase of the pandemic.

“Sadly, the next four to six months could be the worst of the
pandemic. The IHME (Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation) forecast shows
over 200,000 additional deaths. If we would follow the rules, in terms of
wearing masks and not mixing, we could avoid a large percentage of those
deaths,” Gates told CNN.

The United States is witnessing a surge in infections and casualties.

“I thought the US would do a better job handling it,” said
Gates, who in 2015 had forewarned the world of such a disaster.

“Overall, when I did the forecasts in 2015, I talked about the
deaths potentially being higher. So, this virus could be more fatal than it is.
We didn’t get the worst-case. But the thing that has surprised me is that the
economic impact in the US and around the world has been much greater than the
forecasts that I made five years ago,” he said.

Also read | Gates Foundation donates $250 million to fight COVID-19 pandemic

The pandemic has claimed the lives of 290,000 people in the US so far.

Gates said his Foundation was working in collaboration with Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the
second biggest funder after the US government.

He added that their expertise over infectious diseases must be
used for the welfare of the entire world.
In response to President Donald Trump’s executive order that gives
more importance to distribution of vaccines to Americans before other citizens of
the world, Gates said that the US needs to help all of humanity.

Gates pressed on the issue that the entire world has been struck
with pandemic and everyone wants to minimise deaths, so the solution must be
international sharing and cooperation.

In an attempt to reaffirm people’s faith in the vaccine, Gates
said he would be taking the vaccine publicly.

Gates said that wealth should not define the access to vaccine.

“After all, this epidemic has been awful in the way that it’s
exacerbated inequities. It’s been worse for Hispanics, worse for blacks, worse
for low-income service workers, multigenerational households, a number of
things that mean that, in terms of picking who gets the vaccine, we better be
using equity to drive all those decisions,” he said.

Gates reminded the public of wearing masks as prevention.

In response to a question, Gates said that the transition is
exacerbating the situation.

“But the new administration is willing to rely on actual experts,
and not attack those experts. They’re laying out clear plans. So, I think we
will get through this in a positive way. I’m pleased with the people and the
priority that the president-elect, Biden, and his team are bringing to bear on
this problem,” he said.