when the world is back to normal

Bill Gates, one of the most respected voices for its success coronavirus predictions, is very much taken into account since it was he who, four years before the outbreak of the health crisis, warned against the possible appearance of a virus that would mean a before and an after for humanity.

Now he has spoken again about the end of the pandemic and returning to life as it was before the Covid19.

According to the philanthropist and founder of Microsoft, the the return to normal will take place by 2022, so that this whole year will have to be spent with the necessary care to prevent the disease.

The businessman warned that lawmakers around the world have not done enough to reactivate the return to normal life. And he stressed that a second wave of re-infections would delay the return to normal, so it would take all next year to get back to the way of life as it was before the coronavirus.

For him, the development of vaccines, in less than a year, it’s a “miracle”. However, he pointed out that now vaccines are only sent to rich countries, and that’s a risk, as existing variants spread faster.

Gates also clarified that vaccine makers, such as in India, should already consider making additional vaccines. For now, companies like AstraZeneca, NovaVax and Johnson & Johnson are already working to increase production.

A few days ago, he commented that, unlike countries like the United States, where “the supply situation is very good”, the vaccine is reaching countries with fewer resources in a dropper, this which is an obstacle to the complete recovery of the international market. Trip.

Microsoft founder stressed the importance of the already vaccinated population, as is their case, by continuing to comply security measure to fight the pandemic. “I won’t stop wearing a mask and I will pay special attention to people who have not been vaccinated. I spend a lot of time with my family, who are young enough not to be vaccinated yet, ”he explained.

A third dose?

Bill Gates proposes to stop consuming “traditional” meat and to lean towards the synthetic version

This also does not rule out that a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine may be needed to prevent severe cases of new variants of the disease.

“The discussion now is whether we just need to get very high coverage of the current vaccine, or do we need a third dose of it, or do we need a modified vaccine,” Microsoft co-founder said, amid concerns that current antidotes may be less effective against South African and Brazilian variants of the coronavirus.

In fact, according to Gates, the five companies that have vaccines in the United States “They are considering making this change and adding it,” in case people who have already had two injections “need a third,” he explained.

“I think it is reasonably likely that we will have a vaccine adjusted just to be absolutely sure that when these variants arrive in the United States, they will not escape the protection of the vaccine,” said the philanthropist, who funds studies in South Africa to determine whether vaccines for AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax they are equally effective against the more contagious variant.

In this sense, the billionaire explained that “AstraZeneca, in particular, has a challenge with the variant“While the other two vaccines, from Johnson & Johnson and Novavax,” are a little less effective, but still effective enough that we need to get them out as quickly as possible while we study this idea of ​​adjusting the vaccine. “coronavirus. is not eradicated, additional injections of the vaccine may be needed in the future, although” probably not annually, “Gates admitted.

Changes to save the world

For him, the development of vaccines, in less than a year, is a “miracle”

The magnate and philanthropist offers stop eating meat of all kinds and switch to the consumption of what is called synthetic meat. In an interview on MIT Tech Review. doors explained what, in his opinion, could be the solutions available to humanity in an attempt to reduce carbon emissions and control the global temperature rise.

The millionaire addressed these questions in a book he recently published. Entitled “How to avoid a climate catastrophe” – How to avoid a climate catastrophe -, the text analyzes the technologies needed to minimize the climate impact of sectors that are difficult to solve, such as the steel industry or agriculture.

He is known to be a man who trusts in the power of innovation. For this reason, the Microsoft co-founder is convinced that technological advancements will facilitate, in various aspects, such as money and politics, the reduction of carbon emissions by countries.

It should be noted that in this scenario, agriculture is positioned as one of the polluting industries more difficult to modify. It’s important to keep in mind that greenhouse gas emissions from the food industry account for 25% of total global emissions, according to the results of a study by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS ).

Of all the sub-industries of the agricultural and food world, livestock is positioned as one of the food production systems that contributes the most to global warming.

In fact, in general, livestock produce emissions of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). In addition, it is necessary to add the carbon dioxide (CO2) which is produced following the transformation of the land into pasture; or emissions from livestock vehicles such as tractors or trucks.

For Bill Gates, stopping meat consumption is a viable and necessary solution

For Bill Gates, the solution is therefore for rich countries to stop consuming meat and switch to the synthetic version, made from various products of plant origin.

As detailed in the aforementioned interview, although the “80 poorest countries” still have to depend on actual meat consumption, the future of food should be based on floors for developed countries.

“I think all rich countries should switch to 100% synthetic beef,” he said. Also, he added that “you can get used to the difference in flavor, and the intention is that they will make it taste even better over time. green premium product is small enough that you can change the [comportamiento de] people or use regulations to totally change demand. ”

Besides the disappearance of livestock, Bill Gates analyzed other alternatives to deal with the problem of gas emissions. Beyond that, he considers that none are sufficiently effective to avoid future dependence on synthetic proteins.

“There is everything about being fed different foods, like a compound that gives them a 20% reduction [en las emisiones de metano]. But unfortunately these bacteria [en su sistema digestivo que producen metano] they are a necessary part for breaking down the grass. So I don’t know if there will be a concentration on this. I am scared [alternativas de proteínas sintéticas como las hamburguesas a base de plantas] they will be needed at least for the beef, ”he said.

In this sense, the founder of Microsoft referred to companies such as Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat as those that aim to become a fully feasible and potentially accessible option, based largely on vegetable proteins. In that sense, he also mentioned “people like Memphis Meats doing it at the cellular level, I don’t know if that will ever be cheap. But Impossible and Beyond have a roadmap, a quality roadmap. and a roadmap. Costs, which makes them totally competitive, ”he concluded.