Did Bill Gates Predict the Coronavirus?

Bill Gates was not only a computer programmer, but also devoted time into health and medicine research. As the coronavirus is spreading quicker, several are surprised from the economic impact of the coronavirus. However; in a 2015 Ted Talk, Bill Gates emphasized that both the U.S and other countries were not ready for the next pandemic that was going to occur. By comparing past epidemics, including ebola and the spanish flu, did Bill Gates predict the coronavirus?

His Ted Talk

In his 2015 Ted Talk,”Bill Gates: The next outbreak? We’re not ready,” Gates potentially could have predicted the coronavirus. While he explains that luckily, Ebola did not spread as rapidly as it could have, he mentions that, “…Next time, we might not be so lucky. You can have a virus where people feel well enough while they’re infectious that they get on a plane or they go to a market.” Similarly to what Gates said, for the coronavirus, people, particularly children, seem to not get as affected from the disease, and instead, are carriers for coronavirus.

Gates also makes it clear that, “If anything kills over 10 million people in the next few decades, it’s most likely to be a highly infectious virus rather than a war…Not missiles, but microbes.” In the Ted Talk, Gates stresses the importance of preparing for the next pandemic, as we would for a war. His statement is accurate; and, currently, the coronavirus is more impactful than war. In addition, he explains what the virus what be like and how it, “…Would spread throughout the world very, very quickly.” The coronavirus is spreading very very quickly throughout the world, and Gates could have predicted this.