Speaking to TIME newspaper, Melinda emphasized the need for COVID-19 vaccine to go out equitably.
"We know the way out of COVID-19 will be a vaccine, and it needs to go out equitably," Melinda Gates told TIME.
Melinda also told TIME that the Gates Foundation pledged $750 million since 1999 which helped to establish the Global Alliance for Vaccine Immunization (GAVI). GAVI aims to vaccinate almost half the world children against deadly and debilitating infectious diseases.
"The first people that need this vaccine are the 60 million health care workers around the world. They deserve to get it before anybody else. Then you start tiering," Melinda said.
Melinda went on to say that black people in the U.S must be vaccinated after more than 60 million health care workers around the world.
Melinda also expressed her views about the brutal killing of George Floyd by racist cops. "We all need to really pause during this time and learn as best we can from it. Even before we saw this senseless death, COVID had already started to show us gaps and structural problems in our country."
"We are seeing black men die at a disproportionate rate. We know the way out of COVID-19 will be a vaccine, and it needs to go out equitably," she added.
"In the U.S., that would be black people next, quite honestly, and many other people of color. They are having disproportionate effects from COVID-19. From there, people with underlying health conditions, and then people who are older. Those are the ones who all need it first. We also need to think about essential workers who are keeping our grocery stores open for us so we can buy food, or who are making sure that food moves through the warehouses," she added.
During the Global Vaccine Summit, the Gates Foundation committed $1.6 billion to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI).
Bill Gates came under fire after a number of old videos surfaced where he expressed his personal views about overpopulation. It is these videos that were circulated on all social media platforms that attracted criticism of Gates.
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