Bill Gates on coronavirus: 'The fall is going to be worse than the summer'

Billionaire founder of Microsoft (MSFT) Bill Gates hasn’t been shy about his assessment on the U.S. government response to the coronavirus pandemic. In fact, Gates thinks that things are only going to get worse in the short term. “The fall is going to be worse than the summer,” Gates told POLITICO. “All the numbers are ticking up and there was always a very good chance … that we would see more transmission. Until the new tools come … all we have is our behavior, wearing masks.” There are over 7 million confirmed cases in the U.S., and at least 210,00 people have died. And according to the White House Task Force, 26 states are now in the coronavirus “red zone” for new cases this week, with 24 in the “yellow zone” and none in the “green zone.” Bill Gates answers questions after giving a lecture on international aid to parliamentarians and guests in the Robing Room of the House of Lords in the Palace of Westminster, London November 10, 2014. The lecture, called ?The Case for Aid: A Conversation with Bill Gates? was given on behalf of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and in association with "Malaria No More UK", and spoke of the importance of aid in the fight against diseases including malaria and Ebola. REUTERS/Tim Ireland/Pool (BRITAIN - Tags: BUSINESS HEALTH SOCIETY)View photos Bill Gates answers questions after giving a lecture on international aid to parliamentarians and guests in Westminster, London November 10, 2014. REUTERS/Tim Ireland/Pool More ‘The worst testing system’ Gates and his wife, Melinda, run the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has donated hundreds of millions of dollars towards coronavirus research, treatment, and testing, along with the search for a vaccine. Earlier this year, Gates laid out a three-part plan for eliminating coronavirus: developing the capacity to make the necessary vaccines, obtaining the funding to pay for the vaccines, and creating a system to deliver the vaccines worldwide. “To beat the COVID-19 pandemic, the world needs more than breakthrough science,” Gates said in a previous statement. “It needs breakthrough generosity. When COVID-19 vaccines are ready, this funding and global coordination will ensure that people all over the world will be able to access them.” Accessibility has been something that Gates has criticized on multiple occasions. In a recent interview with NBC’s Meet the Press, he said that the U.S. is “running the worst testing system, in terms of who gets access to it, of any country.” Cases are up in most parts of the U.S. (Graphic: David Foster/Yahoo Finance)View photos Cases are up in most parts of the U.S. (Graphic: David Foster/Yahoo Finance) More ‘It’s mind blowing’ Although Gates is anticipating a spike in cases this fall, he is also optimistic that at least some of the various vaccines in development will receive emergency use authorization by early next year. “It’s very impressive how the pharmaceutical industry has diverted resources, gotten involved,” he told NBC’s Chuck Todd. “The U.S. government, this is one category we’ve actually done a decent job, has funded the research here.”