Bill Gates Predicts 'Almost All' Coronavirus Vaccines Will Work

Bill Gates (Ludovic Marin/Getty Images)

Bill Gates told CNN on Sunday that he's "optimistic" that "almost all" of the vaccines in development for the coronavirus will prove viable before February.

"Almost all the vaccines will work and with very high efficacy levels," Gates said. "I'm optimistic that by February it's very likely that they'll all prove very efficacious and safe."

Despite this, Gates added that "we should be very worried about the next six months," predicting that the daily number of deaths will exceed 2,000 for most of the upcoming winter.

"In a slightly imperfect way, I do think the logistics" of distributing tests and vaccines "will get solved," he continued. "Over time, we will get to that 70%-plus level that we need in order to stop the spread of the disease."

Gates went on to urge people not to attend or host large gatherings for the holidays. He noted that his own Thanksgiving plans will include video calls to talk to family members who can't be present.

"Ideally, people would say, 'OK, because the medical tools are coming, we can double down on good behavior,'" he said. "You know, try not to have your family be the last death in this pandemic because you're willing to see it through until the spring, which is when the vaccine will really start to cut the numbers down. And, of course, the change in weather will be helping us as well."

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