Bill Gates may not like New Year's resolutions. But he has set big goals for 2022 and beyond. The top of his priority list is: avoiding future pandemics.
In a year-end blog post he posted earlier this month, the Microsoft founder wrote that among the world's biggest problems, fears of the next disease equivalent to the COVID-19 pandemic, are urgent and demand attention in 2022.
"We cannot afford to repeat the suffering we experienced in the last two years. The world has the opportunity to invest in tools and systems that can prevent the COVID-19 pandemic," Gates said as quoted from his blog post on Gatesnotes.com, as seen Friday (12/31). /2021).
He hinted that the topic would be the subject of his next book, to be published next year. Meanwhile, he wrote, investing in medical research and development was a smart start. Many important medical projects in the world which were temporarily suspended due to COVID-19, could be accelerated again in the near future.
In one example, he said, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation helped fund a phase III trial of Islatravir, an HIV prevention drug, in Africa. Current pill treatments offer reliable protection, but must be taken at frequent or planned intervals.
In the new method of treatment, as well as pills, only need to be taken once a month. And the first test results released this summer, according to Gates, are very promising.
"Several achievements this year show that the world may indeed be able to end the COVID-19 pandemic and curb the one that will follow. From governments to nonprofits fighting climate change together, to WHO approval for the first malaria vaccine," he said.
Gates also discussed the growing global distrust in public institutions was a significant hurdle. According to the 2021 Edelman Trust Index, a survey of more than 33,000 people in 28 countries that Gates cited in his post, Americans in particular do not trust their public officials. The study notes that 40% of US respondents strongly distrust the country's federal government.
"If your people don't trust you, they won't support big new initiatives. And when major crises arise, they're less likely to follow the guidance needed to weather the storm," Gates said.
This is a time issue. According to some experts, the next pandemic could be worse, and it might not even be that long. As time goes on, we will see more pandemics. For Gates, that means political leaders and citizens alike need to take precautions.
"Now is the time to learn from our mistakes and take steps to prevent this terrible experience from happening again. I hope we will see broad support for pandemic preparedness efforts, and I plan to spend a lot of time advocating for them."
