Multiple vaccine doses could be necessary to protect from coronavirus, Bill Gates says

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Thu, 2020-07-23 11:08 — mike kraft

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said Wednesday that people could need multiple doses of a potential coronavirus vaccine to immunize themselves from the coronavirus. If necessary, the multiple doses could require more than 7 billion vaccinations to be administered worldwide.

"None of the vaccines at this point appear like they'll work with a single dose," Gates said. "That was the hope at the very beginning."

The billionaire philanthropist, who has donated $300 million towards the global effort to combat COVID-19 through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, told "CBS Evening News" anchor and managing editor Norah O'Donnell that deploying a coronavirus vaccine will require a global effort.

"If what you're trying to do is block all the transmission, then you need to get 70-80% coverage on a global basis. So it's unbelievably big numbers," he said.

Gates, who has been warning about the threat of a global pandemic since 2015, admitted that "there will be a lot of uncertainty" about the efficacy of any vaccine, but stressed that it's a solution "that will improve over time."

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