Bill Gates Tests Positive for COVID, Says 'Fortunate to Be Vaccinated, Boosted'

Bill Gates has been vocal about the need for measures to bring the pandemic under control.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates

(Photo: PTI)

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on Wednesday, 11 May, took to Twitter to share that he had tested positive for COVID-19.

"I'm experiencing mild symptoms and am following the experts' advice by isolating until I'm healthy again," the business magnate wrote.

"I'm fortunate to be vaccinated and boosted and have access to testing and great medical care," he added.

Gates has been vocal about the need for measures to bring the pandemic under control, specifically stressing on access to vaccines and medication for poorer countries.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation had announced in October that it will spend $120 million to aid drugmaker Merck's antiviral COVID pill for lower income countries.

Earlier in May, Gates had warned that the COVID pandemic was far from over, with the worst remaining yet to unfold. Stressing the need for increasing global surveillance, the Microsoft founder and philanthropist warned of the likelihood of an even more fatal and transmissive variant of the coronavirus.

Gates stated that even though he did not want to sound gloomy, the risk of a more virulent variant was more than 5 percent.

"We're still at risk of this pandemic generating a variant that would be even more transmissive and even more fatal," he was quoted as saying.

"It's not likely, I don't want to be a voice of doom and gloom, but it's way above a 5 percent risk that this pandemic, we haven't even seen the worst of it," he had added.