Bill Gates tests positive for Covid, says he has ‘mild symptoms’

‘I’m experiencing mild symptoms and am following the experts’ advice by isolating until I’m healthy again,’ says the Microsoft co-founder

Bill Gates has tested positive for the coronavirus, the tech billionaire has announced on Twitter.

“I’ve tested positive for COVID,” Mr Gates wrote on Tuesday. “I’m experiencing mild symptoms and am following the experts’ advice by isolating until I’m healthy again.”

The Microsoft co-founder added that he is fully vaccinated, protecting him from a severe case of the disease, and plans to work remotely at his charity, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

“I’m fortunate to be vaccinated and boosted and have access to testing and great medical care,” Mr Gates tweeted. “The Gates Foundation is coming together today for the first time in two years, and I am lucky to be on Teams to see everyone and thank them for their hard work.”

Covid-19 infections in the United States have more than doubled over the past month, driven by new subvariants of the Omicron strain, including BA.2. New cases per day have jumped from a daily average of about 31,000 on 9 April to about 73,000 on 9 May.

Under Mr Gates’ leadership, the Foundation has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on developing new drugs to treat Covid, and the philanthropist has urged efforts to prepare for the “next” pandemic. In announcing that he himself has caught the virus, he remained focused on that message.

“We will continue working with partners and do all we can to ensure none of us have to deal with a pandemic again,” Mr Gates wrote.

In January, Mr Gates warned that vaccine distribution will need to be much more efficient in other pandemics, which he believes humanity will face in the future.

“Those vaccines made a huge difference, saving lots of lives and getting out very quickly,” Mr Gates said of the Covid vaccines. “But the picture is mixed... we didn’t get the quantity to the developing countries as quickly as we wanted.”

“We’re all a lot smarter now,” he added. “And we need more capacity for the next time.”