Multi-billionaire philanthropist to the rescue

Opinion analysis by Robin Madi, Staff Writer

May 17th, 2020

What would you do if you had the approximate net worth of a hundred billion dollars?

Spoil yourself with a five stories’ mansion with the Mona Lisa as its center piece perhaps? Invest in stocks?

Or maybe donate some of that money to a heavily indebted government like ours?

It is one thing to be rich, but another, to give back to the world.

This article today will not be tackling the banking crisis Lebanon is facing. Nor the resurfacing garbage crisis that is knocking on our door begging to be solved. Rather it will be the bearer of good news and hope amidst the on-going global epidemic of the Corona virus.

Over the past 6 months, billionaires around the world have generously contributed to the fight against the COVID-19. Huge donations have been aimed at finding the right vaccine to suppress the losses, and boosting the immunity. 

However, one of them stands out on the path of philanthropy and benevolence.

Co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates has announced on March 13th on his LinkedIn page that he’s stepping down from both board of directors of Microsoft and Berkshire Hathaway in order to “dedicate more time to philanthropic priorities including global health and development, education, and my increasing engagement in tackling climate change.” 

Bill, alongside his wife Melinda, have made a pledge towards humanity devoting their efforts on a mission to “ensure more children and young people to survive and thrive, empower the poorest, combat infectious diseases, and inspire people to take action” [1] . And combatting diseases they did. In fact, Netflix documentary “Inside Bill’s Brain: decoding Bill Gates”, portrays meticulously all the initiatives the “Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation” have undertook to reduce inequity and promote global health, such as the life-or-death mission to get better sanitation for the developing world, providing solutions to suppress Polio, and climate change impact.

Today, a different danger imposes itself onto humanity, and its not limited to the COVID-19 outbreak only, but rather, as Gates described it to the Financial Times magazine, a viral outbreak that is likely to happen "every 20 years or so."

The Gates’ Warning Timeline 

If you had been keeping a close eye on Bill’s initiatives, you would have noticed a series of unlimited red flags screaming to be noticed and pleading for safety measures to be taken against an upcoming pandemic.

We trace these warnings back to the 2015 TED talk “The next outbreak? We’re not ready”. To highlight human’s incapacity to deal with a pandemic, Gates gave example about the Ebola outbreak that occurred in 2014-2015, killing 10,000 people in Western Africa describing the medical response to it being as “sluggish”.

Moreover, Bill stated on this incapacity while emphasizing on the on-growing threat of biologically manufactured germs and diseases, during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland on January 19, 2017 saying that:

“When you are thinking about things that could cause in excess of 10 million deaths, even something tragic like a nuclear weapons incident wouldn't get to that level. So, the greatest risk is from a natural epidemic or an intentionally caused infection bioterrorism events... Whether the next epidemic is unleashed by a quirk of nature or the hand of terrorists, scientists say a fast-moving airborne pathogen could kill more than 30 million people in less than a year. So, the world does need to think about this”[2]

As a matter of fact, biological warfare is far more likely to be the most imminent danger on global health, due to its low-cost compared to nuclear manufacturing, in addition to its easy-access. All you need is laboratory facilities and trained personnel in order to maintain the research and development process of the virus. 

In the light of all of these factors, our philanthropic hero had to step in and take action, especially after president Donald Trump announced his decision to cut US funding for the WHO. 

A generous contribution 

In early February, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation pledged a sum of a hundred million dollars to fight the Corona Virus, including funding for frontline responders, prevention efforts, and treatment. 

Alongside this magnanimous gesture, the foundation joined Wellcome and Mastercard donating up to $125 million toward a COVID-19 Therapeutic Accelerator to speed up the response by enhancing treatment. The foundation put in up to $50 million, earmarked from its initial coronavirus pledge, toward this venture. [3]

Furthermore, Bill Gates not only proved himself to be brilliant mind, but also an “impatient optimist”, as he is working on the fastest vaccine scientists ever created. He mentioned on his blog:” One of the questions I get asked the most these days is when the world will be able to go back to the way things were in December before the coronavirus pandemic. My answer is always the same: when we have an almost perfect drug to treat COVID-19, or when almost every person on the planet has been vaccinated against coronavirus.”

“The former is unlikely to happen anytime soon […] Which leaves us with a vaccine.” 

The vaccine is likely to be developed within 18 months, which is three times faster than the normal pace, that is at least 5 years. Bill describes thoroughly on his blog the process of making this vaccine, prioritizing safety and efficacy along the way. He mentioned that the COVID-19 vaccine might be similar to the smallpox vaccine, not perfect, but will surely ‘get the job done’ so to speak, given the time-limit the urgency imposes. 

 “It might be a bit hard to see right now, but there is light at the end of the tunnel” affirms Gates, urging the people to abide by the guidelines set by their governments, in order, to contain the virus as much as possible until the vaccine is ready to be launched.

One question imposes itself in the midst of all this mayhem, can Lebanon sustain a state of prevention long enough? Protests emerged again after months of silence. Hunger and poverty have come dragging people on the streets begging for equity.

After a promising decrease in the number of cases (reaching 0 cases in April 20th), a second wave of the virus have emerged, leading to an increase of 11th cases today. 

There might be light at the end of the tunnel, yet the Lebanese tunnel is proving itself to be dangerously unsafe by the minute. 

[1] (gates)

[2] (biological warfare the deadlier alternative to nuclear warfare, 3/20/2020)

[3] (Bill Gates has warned of an impending pandemic for years. Here's how he's dealing with the coronavirus pandemic — from pledging $100 million to fight the outbreak to becoming Warren Buffett's "scientific adviser.", Apr 21, 2020, 12:13 AM)