The coronavirus pandemic is already a Herculean problem the world is yet to defeat, but conspiracy theories continue to plague the internet, making matters worse. Even Bill Gates, the man who has funded hundreds and millions of dollars to create a vaccine, couldn't escape these weird hoaxes.
One conspiracy theory that involves Gates says that the philanthropist is trying to plant tracking devices in people through COVID-19 vaccines. This theory emerged because of the billionaire's proactive approach to find treatment for the virus.
According to Business Insider, Gates commented on the matter, shrugging the whole thing off as baseless. "I've never been involved in any sort of microchip type thing... it's almost hard to deny this stuff because it's so stupid and strange."
Gates for years has been warning the public about the dangers of a pandemic, urging world leaders to raise awareness and prepare for it. His 2015 TED Talk was a warning about the potential death toll a worldwide pandemic would entail.
That TED Talk, along with the fact that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's $300 million commitment to fight Covid-19 and create a vaccine, had some rightwingers spreading rumors that Gates is somehow responsible for the creation of the coronavirus and its spread so as he can profit from it.
Bandwagonners happily joined the baseless chorus and spread the theory all over the web, influencing a lot of people with misinformation. Conspiracy theories involving Gates were mentioned 1.2 million times on social media and searches in March and April, according to the data Zignal Labs shared with the New York Times.
In a survey conducted by YouGov, it was found that people who believe in the Bill Gates-microchip conspiracy theory were mostly Fox News viewers and Republicans, making up 50% and 44% of the entire survey group, respectively.
Gates finds these figures "concerning," though he's not really worried because governments continue to fund COVID-19 research to create a vaccine. What he's worried about is the possibility of these people to refuse getting vaccinated once it's out. This would make herd immunity more challenging to achieve.
Gates believes that once a vaccine for COVID-19 is ready, countries with weak healthcare infrastructure should have it first. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged an additional $1.6 billion to Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, an international organization created to improve access to new and underused vaccines for children living in the world's poorest countries.
