Bill Gates was heavily criticized for refusing to share Covid-19 mRNA vaccine formulas with poor countries that can’t afford to pay for the shots.
Gates and Dr. Anthony Fauci reportedly own shares in pharmaceutical company Moderna, one of three vaccines approved by the Food & drug Administration for emergency use.
Moderna owns the rights to multiple patents for its mRNA vaccines and secreting proteins. Those patents can be viewed here.
The patents prevent other countries from manufacturing their own mRNA vaccines for Covid-19.
When asked if he would allow other countries to have access to the formulas, Gates — a billionaire many times over — quickly said no.
“Well, there’s only so many vaccine factories in the world and people are very serious about the safety of vaccines. And so moving something that had never been done — moving a vaccine, say, from a [Johnson & Johnson] factory into a factory in India — it’s novel — it’s only because of our grants and expertise that that can happen at all.”
Twitter users were irate over Gates protecting his wealth at the expense of poor countries.
One user tweeted: “Well, this is the stance you take when you don’t actually want to end the pandemic and just want to make lots of money.”
Another user wrote: “Another reminder that billionaires shouldn’t exist… Or, there shouldn’t be a system whose final goal is to serve handful of people at top and they control the direction of humanity.”
And a third wrote: “Bill Gates is a eugenicist and ecofascist. This is very on brand for him and he’s using his wealth to kill people in the Global South.”
Bill Gates says no to sharing vaccine formulas with global poor to end pandemic https://t.co/ds0927karA
— Salon (@Salon) April 26, 2021
Another reminder that billionaires shouldn't exist… Or, there shouldn't be a system whose final goal is to serve handful of people at top and they control the direction of humanity
— Chandan Kumar (@chandannolan) April 26, 2021
Well, this is the stance you take when you don't actually want to end the pandemic and just want to make lots of money.
The longer it takes to reach global immunity, the more likely a variant will mutate that bypasses the current vaccine and make us all need new vaccines.
— Scruffy-looking goat herder (@LukeMonroe1) April 26, 2021
I don't remember anyone electing Bill Gates to anythng
— El Cid (@EnBuenora) April 26, 2021
Bill Gates could pay the entire $25 billion needed to vaccinate low- and middle-income countries globally and he would still be $31.5 billion richer than he was before the pandemic. Greed is a terrible addiction that must be cured by taxing the rich and ending drug monopolies. https://t.co/hbCElXeEmA
— Warren Gunnels (@GunnelsWarren) April 26, 2021
If you've ever wondered whether Bill Gates actually cares about the "global poor", here is your answer. https://t.co/USnsDGsHK6
— jane chung (@Jane24477) April 26, 2021
Why do we keep pretending this guy is anything other than a villain?
— Alexis Salt (@hufflepufflady) April 26, 2021
People seem to have forgotten Bill Gates is a eugenicist, ecofascist. This is very on brand for him
— Wagatwe Wanjuki ?? ?? (@wagatwe) April 26, 2021
Just another day in paradise, for rich white guys.
— Cerulean ??? (@nmcerulean) April 26, 2021
Just your monthly reminder that rich people, no matter how altruistic, should not be the arbiters of where aid goes.
It's time for a wealth tax.
— Jeremy Trot Zeitlin (@TrotTaBoston) April 26, 2021