Bill Gates' Omicron Thread: "We Could Be Entering Worst Part Of Pandemic"

Bill Gates, in a series of tweets aimed at alerting the public to the worrisome nature of the present surge in Omicron worldwide, said on Tuesday that he's canceled most of his holiday plans.

Bill Gates, in a series of tweets aimed at alerting the public to the worrisome nature of the present surge in Omicron worldwide, said on Tuesday that he's canceled most of his 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. Omicron is spreading faster than any virus in history. It will soon be in every country in the world. The big unknown is how sick omicron makes you. We need to take it seriously until we know more about it. Even if it's only half as severe as delta, it will be the worst surge we have seen so far because it's so infectious. In the meantime, we all have to look out for each other, especially the most vulnerable, whether they live down the street or in another country. That means wearing masks, avoiding big indoor gatherings, and getting vaccinated. Getting a booster gives the best protection. There will be more breakthrough cases in people who are vx'd, which sounds concerning but is purely a factor of how many people are vx'd and how fast this variant is spreading. Vaccines are designed to prevent people from getting seriously ill or dying & are doing that well. 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 3 months. Those few months could be bad, but I still believe if we take the right steps, the pandemic can be over in 2022. I know it's frustrating to go into another holiday season with COVID looming over us. But it won't be like this forever. Someday the pandemic will end, and the better we look after each other, the sooner that time will come.

Noting that his close friends have increasingly been getting infected with the virus, the billionaire Microsoft co-founder urged his followers take cognizance of the fact that we "could be entering the worst part of the pandemic".

Mr Gates' tweets emphasised the danger of the Omicron variant, particularly in relation to it's reinfection rate, as well as the frighteningly little knowledge we collectively possess about the strain.