Bill Gates told Süddeutsche Zeitung that the next pandemic would be ten times worse if an international collaborative response is inefficient.
In an interview with the German newspaper, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Bill Gates talks about scientific progress, vaccination nationalism dangers, and pandemic preparedness. When asked what the political lesson was in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic as it seemed to encourage nationalism and egoism rather than unity, Gates said that a future pandemic could be ten times worse than the ongoing crisis while highlighting the vaccine development via cross-border collaboration between scientists, companies, international organizations, and governments. He suggested governments across the globe protect their citizens against possible new diseases. Gates was not claiming that the next pandemic will be ten times worse for certain, but he meant that if countries do not collaborate and work together towards scientific development, then the next pandemic can have worse consequences than the current one. Furthermore, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's annual letter stated that COVID-19 might not be the last pandemic. The next pandemic could be a new disease not encountered before, for which preparedness and collaboration is necessary. The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.
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