Bill Gates has had some pretty hot takes on the Wuhan coronavirus, and not in a good way. Back in February, he praised Australia's "Zero COVID" methods, despite how it came at the expense of many civil liberties. That same month he had also likened mask mandates to being required to wear pants in public.
In a video clip shared over Twitter on Thursday afternoon by a user known as "TheNo1Waffler," which as of Friday evening has 862,700 views, Gates acknowledges the virus is "kind of like the flu."
Bill Gates on Covid 19.
— THENO1WAFFLER (@TheNo1Waffler) May 5, 2022
“We didn’t understand that it’s a fairly low fatality rate & that it’s a disease mainly in the elderly, kind of like flu is, although a bit different than that.” pic.twitter.com/qkJbOP05ww
Speaking about "early February," Gates said that he and experts at his foundation "didn't understand the fatality rate. We didn't understand that it's a fairly low fatality rate and that it's a disease mainly of the elderly, kind of like the flu is, though it's a bit different from that."
Many took to respond over Twitter that Gates was very late to the party on this one.
Maybe @BillGates didn't understand, but it was clear to most of us. Maybe he shouldn't be involved in public health. Just a thought.
— Chet McDoniel (@chetmcdoniel) May 5, 2022
Millions of lives destroyed, the economy wrecked, inflation through the roof, and children’s mental health ruined.
— Libertarian Party NH (@LPNH) May 7, 2022
Gates: Whoopsie, we didn't know! ??????? #Evil pic.twitter.com/wjvzkBfMK9
This was known very early. He knew. But tyranny needed its crisis.
— Who cares? (@Foul_Mouth_Baby) May 6, 2022
“We” understood that in March 2020. It was well documented. The average age of death in Italy early on was ~80. “You” pushed a false narrative to convince millions of people to roll the dice with their health and partake in a dangerous medical experiment.
— LastGirlOut2.0 (@Ls2021Ls) May 6, 2022
Actually we did know this. We said it was like the flu and we had to get on with life. This man helped them lock us down kill our businesses and our economy and I will never forget he did it https://t.co/PHkUI6pShA
— Megan Fox (@MeganFoxWriter) May 7, 2022
Others pointed out how Gates is not exactly an expert in epidemiology.
Can we just STOP with Bill Gates? As it pertains to ANYTHING Covid-related or in the field of epidemiology? He made a fortune selling software. Fine. That does not therefore make him an "expert" in any other field of his choosing just cause folks will listen to a "rich guy".
— Mike Ferris (@MikeFer96639641) May 5, 2022
Why is this man an expert when it comes to ppl health. Which degree in Biology, Chemistry, Medicine, or anything this man earned, somebody ?
— Mr O (@000000shell) May 6, 2022
This would be like listening to Kevin O'Leary on epidemiology. I love the guys business sense and no, he didn't make a statement, I'm just saying. Tech moguls aren't doctors. Lol
— GreenEyedGoddess?? (@GrneyedGoddes) May 6, 2022
Another point worth mentioning is that what Gates is saying, would have once gotten others fact-checked or censored.
Remember when social media banned people for saying COVID was like the flu - but now Bill Gates admits it and nothing happens? https://t.co/u2JQ3GCGe3
— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) May 6, 2022
Nope… we know
— Coincidence Me This (@gaerbear33) May 7, 2022
We told you
You banned us https://t.co/HYigJ3XkFn
“We” didn’t understand? No, “we” did, but we kept getting our accounts banned every time we mentioned it. https://t.co/GfBU72xlK3
— Ced_Truz 1776 (@1984Ced) May 7, 2022
Remember when suggesting that Covid had a “low fatality rate” got you called a conspiracy theorist, was flagged as misinformation, and got you kicked off of social media? @BillGates sure as heck doesn’t. pic.twitter.com/PDKRIEGnTq
— Viva Frei (@thevivafrei) May 7, 2022
And, in another clip, this time from Gates' appearance on "The Daily Show" earlier this week, Gates was similarly mocked. As our friends at Twitchy pointed out, it was certainly noteworthy how he failed to mention the gain-of-function involved in spreading the Wuhan coronavirus.
.@BillGates: “It’s quite clear in this case, [Covid] came across through animals. And almost all our diseases, like HIV, crossed over from chimpanzees in Africa quite some time ago; Ebola came from bats, this also, with one step in between came across from bats.” pic.twitter.com/TVfWdUJ1dt
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) May 4, 2022
Speaking of the virus, Gates had said that "it's quite clear in this case" that it "came across through animals. And almost all our diseases, like HIV, crossed over from chimpanzees in Africa quite some time ago; Ebola came from bats, this also, with one step in between came across from bats."
This isn't all we're going to hear from Gates on the matter. Far from it. He even has a book coming out, "How to Prevent the Next Pandemic," urging how we must already be preparing for the next pandemic. Gates has thus suggested a Global Epidemic Response and Mobilization (GERM) team.
My new book, How to Prevent the Next Pandemic, is available now. Proceeds will be donated to Partners in Health in memory of Dr. Paul Farmer, who inspired the world with his commitment to saving lives: https://t.co/T5Nk5TVRJ2 pic.twitter.com/4lhapJiMbw
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) May 3, 2022
And yet, as Twitchy also pointed out, he curiously restricted replies in advertising the book over Twitter.