Billionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates announced late Tuesday he has tested positive for the Chinese coronavirus and is experiencing mild symptoms.
Gates, an arch proponent of coronavirus vaccines and their development, announced the diagnosis on social media, adding he would be isolating per experts’ advice until he recovered.
“I’ve tested positive for COVID. I’m experiencing mild symptoms and am following the experts’ advice by isolating until I’m healthy again,” he said in a tweet.
“I’m fortunate to be vaccinated and boosted and have access to testing and great medical care,” he said in a follow-up tweet.
Gates’ announcement followed the publication of his book How to Prevent the Next Pandemic earlier this month, in which he argues coronavirus could be the last pandemic if the world would make the requisite key investments, UPI reports.
The 65-year-old was involved in the effort to make coronavirus vaccines available worldwide as his foundation is a founding partner of GAVI, a participant in the World Health Organization’s (W.H.O.) COVAX initiative that aims to accelerate development and deliveries of vaccines across the globe.
A person holds a t-shirt depicting Microsoft founder-turned-philanthropist Bill Gates with the word “Assassin” during a demonstration against COVID-19 vaccines in front of the Ministry of Labor in Bogota, on January 21, 2022. (JUAN BARRETO/AFP via Getty Images)
As Breitbart News reported, earlier this month he warned the world to begin preparing now for the appearance of “even more fatal” variants of coronavirus in the future.
He added international health surveillance driven by increased funding for the W.H.O. is one way to forestall future pandemic outbreaks.