In a bid to fast-track research into the much-needed coronavirus vaccine, Bill Gates has shifted his philanthropic foundation into high gear by investing billions of dollars in the construction of factories for seven different vaccine candidates.
Gates said that even though the foundation would end up picking only one or two of the seven, meaning billions of dollars spent on manufacturing would be abandoned, the effort is directed at avoiding the waste of valuable life-saving time.
According to the Microsoft billionaire, simultaneously testing and building manufacturing capacity is essential to the quick development of a vaccine, which Gates thinks could take about 18 months. Gates and his wife, Melinda, have already pledged $100 million toward fighting the coronavirus pandemic, including an effort to send at-home coronavirus test kits to people in Washington state.
As it becomes ever more urgent to pour large amounts of money into research and innovation for quick and viable solutions to this ongoing global crisis, such philanthropic efforts like those of the Gates Foundation are incredibly appreciated and it would be great if they inspired other wealthy figures to do the same.
