Bill Gates: Until coronavirus vaccine, world won't be 'truly normal'
Microsoft co-founder predicts "we'll be able to open up significant parts of the economy" even before a vaccine
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Life in the U.S. will not return to "normal" until a coronavirus vaccine is "gotten out to basically the entire world," billionaire Bill Gates told "Fox News Sunday."
"We will eventually get a vaccine. Even before then, if we do the right things, we'll be able to open up significant parts of the economy," Gates said.
The U.S. will have to pay "a huge economic price" to get the coronavirus pandemic under control and is not testing the right people "to understand what is going on."
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"I do think if we get testing fixed, get all 50 states involved we'll be below [death projections]," Gates said. "Of course, we'll pay a huge economic price in order to achieve that."
Gates in 2018. (Photo by Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)
Gates said the number of people being tested is not as important as testing essential workers and getting results in less than 24 hours.
He predicted that if enough Americans quarantine themselves, virus cases could begin to stop rising around the end of April. The U.S. can look at "some degree of opening back up" after the numbers start to go down with nationwide testing.
Gates, known for his philanthropic efforts, has contributed a significant amount of cash to COVID-19 relief.
His charity, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has been intertwined with the fight against infectious diseases after helping found the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness and Innovation (CEPI) in 2016.
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Last week, Gates detailed a three-step plan in a Washington Post op-ed for the U.S. to beat the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Gates, who foresaw the kind of devastation a pandemic could bring if world leaders didn't prepare five years ago, has been using his platform to raise awareness about coronavirus and has donated $100 million to relief efforts through his charity.