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Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates is “surprised” to learn people believe the conspiracy theory that he wants to use the COVID-19 vaccine to put microchips into Americans, and called such baseless ideas about him “crazy” and “evil.”
“Do people really believe that stuff?” Gates asked during an interview with Reuters Wednesday.
“I’m very surprised by that. I hope it goes away.”
Gates, the Microsoft co-founder turned do-gooder, along with the top US infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, have been the subject of numerous conspiracy theories since the pandemic started in the US last year.
Social media hacks have been fueling misinformation about the virus and propagating fact-less fantasies about Gates and Fauci creating the pandemic as a means to control people and make money.
“Nobody would have predicted that I and Dr. Fauci would be so prominent in these really evil theories,” Gates told Reuters.
Gates, who’s committed at least $1.75 billion to the global pandemic response, including support for vaccine makers, diagnostics and potential treatments, said the conspiracies have taken root partly because of social media and how frightening a viral pandemic is to experience.
“We’re really going to have to get educated about this over the next year and understand … how does it change peoples’ behavior and how should we have minimized this?” Gates said of the theories, saying he’d like to explore what’s behind them.
He called Fauci and Francis Collins, the top boss at the National Institutes of Health, “smart” and “wonderful people” and he’s excited to see them have the opportunity to speak truthfully and effectively about science under President Joe Biden’s new administration.
“I’m excited about the team that Biden has picked” to handle the health crisis, Gates said.
The 65-year-old was also pleased the US has rejoined the World Health Organization under Biden and said “he’s appointed smart people” and Fauci will no longer “be suppressed.”
With Post Wires
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