--- title: "Bill Gates: US “Missed the Opportunity” to Prevent Catastrophe" description: "In an opinion piece, philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates laid out his three step plan on how to get ahead of the coronavirus pandemic." date: "2020-04-01" modified: "2020-04-01" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/bill-gates-missed-opportunity-prevent-catastrophe" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "Bill Gates" - "coronavirus" - "covid-19" --- # Bill Gates: US “Missed the Opportunity” to Prevent Catastrophe ![]() *\Image: Kuhlmann /MSC/Victor Tangermann\* In a Tuesday [*Washington Post* opinion piece](), philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates argued that the US "missed the opportunity to get ahead of the coronavirus." But that doesn't mean the ship has sailed and the country is doomed to lose [between 100,000 and 240,000 people](), as the White House projected in a Tuesday briefing. For Gates, the approach is simple: first, "we need a consistent nationwide approach to shutting down," he wrote in the opinion piece. People still traveling and going to restaurants across the country "is a recipe for disaster." What we need is a clear message from leaders: "Shutdown anywhere means shutdown everywhere." Secondly, testing should also be far more effective and widespread than it has been so far. Despite the recent progress, the more tests healthcare workers conduct, the better we understand the spread; where there's smoke, there's fire. Healthcare workers need to get tested first, then those who experience symptoms. Third, Gates also argued that running "rapid trials involving various candidates" for possible vaccines is the best way to find an effective treatment — and avoid a situation in which people hoard lifesaving drugs and keep them away from those who need it most. And we shouldn't wait for a vaccine — a process that could take up to 18 long months. We should build facilities now that could "manufacture buildings of doses," according to Gates. ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()