Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates cancelled holiday plans amid fears of the rapidly spreading Omicron variant in the United States.
“Just when it seemed like life would return to normal, we could be entering the worst part of the pandemic. Omicron will hit home for all of us,” the billionaire wrote on Twitter on Tuesday. “Close friends of mine now have it, and I’ve cancelled most of my holiday plans.”
Just when it seemed like life would return to normal, we could be entering the worst part of the pandemic. Omicron will hit home for all of us. Close friends of mine now have it, and I’ve canceled most of my holiday plans.
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) December 21, 2021
The Independent newspaper has reached out to Gates for comment on what plans he’s cancelling, and what plans he’s carrying through.
The entrepreneur, whose Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is a significant global funder of public health and Covid response, stated that the virus is “spreading faster than any virus in history”, even though it was only discovered last month and is still being studied by scientists to understand its basic characteristics.
“If there’s good news here, it’s that Omicron moves so quickly that once it becomes dominant in a country, the wave there should last less than three months,” he added.
“Those few months could be bad, but I still believe if we take the right steps, the pandemic can be over in 2022.”
