- Sputnik International, 1920
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Melinda Gates Expects Humanity to Develop Herd Immunity to COVID-19 'Sometime in 2022'

© AP Photo / Evan AgostiniPhilanthropist Melinda Gates participates in AOL's BUILD Speaker Series at AOL Studios on Tuesday, March 10, 2015, in New York.
Philanthropist Melinda Gates participates in AOL's BUILD Speaker Series at AOL Studios on Tuesday, March 10, 2015, in New York.  - Sputnik International, 1920, 09.03.2021
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The philanthropist, who co-chairs the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has spent billions of dollars to fund the development of a vaccine against the novel coronavirus and related research.

One of the wealthiest women in the world and powerful philanthropist Melinda Gates has assumed that global herd immunity to the coronavirus may be developed among the world's population in 2022.

"So it'll be sometime in 2022 till we have full herd immunity. And boy, I think we're all looking forward to that. There are a lot of people that are suffering, not just in the US but everywhere", Gates said in an interview on CNBC's Closing Bell.

Besides this, single-dose shots like that of Johnson & Johnson might only reach developing countries by the end of this year, Gates noted. Comparing US President Joe Biden's approach to the coronavirus with that of Trump's, the philanthropist stressed that it's still a bit early to praise the current response, though she saw "more hope".

"Is it perfect yet? Absolutely not", Gates said. "But is it a sea change? I mean, we are delivering vaccines as a nation, you know. ... 15% of the population has been covered. So there's more to go, but you're seeing more testing available. You're seeing more hope because people are seeing their loved ones who are older vaccinated", CNBC cited Gates as saying.

To date, the coronavirus pandemic has claimed the lives of 2.599 million people worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University, and some are still struggling with coronavirus vaccine scarcity.

 

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