| ↑ [AP = 연합뉴스] |
Microsoft founder Bill Gates advised that the next pandemic could be more contagious and deadly, and that we should prepare now.
On the 26th (local time), the British daily The Times, Bill Gates remembered how terrible the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) situation was before epidemic prevention was pushed to the background in his new book ‘How to Stop the Next Pandemic’, which is due to be published next month. Ha said that action should be taken now.
According to The Times, Gates first emphasized that he should invest $1 billion a year to build a global prevention team.
Gates likened the pandemic to a fire.
A pandemic is like a fire that starts in one building and spreads to all countries in the world in a matter of weeks. Therefore, we also said that we need an expert group such as a global fire department to prepare for this.
He also mentioned specific roles and personnel. He explained that 3,000 full-time employees are needed in the fields of epidemiology, genetics, drug and vaccine development, etc. .
He emphasized that the annual operating cost of $1 billion is less than one-thousandth of the world’s annual defense expenditure, and considering that another pandemic will cost trillions of dollars, it is not expensive at all.
Gates also said that every country in the world needs to build a system that can detect an outbreak within seven days.
He added that countries should find ways to test a large number of people in a short period of time. He added that, along with therapeutics, better and more readily available vaccines should be developed, and extensive simulation training should be conducted in preparation for the pandemic.
Support for poor countries was also emphasized.
He said the tools used in the fight against COVID-19 actually exist because the world has invested in improving the health of poor countries.
Laboratories related to diseases such as polio in South Africa and Nigeria immediately changed direction during the COVID-19 outbreak. He added that COVID-19 beta mutations and omicron mutations were first identified in a South African laboratory.
Finally, he repeatedly emphasized that countries should establish national measures to prevent the pandemic.
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