![\"\"](\"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/5ef640cd203027014676414d.jpg\")
\u00a9 AFP \/ Getty Images<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n
RT.com<\/p>\n
Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates lamented the US is ‘not even close’ to doing enough to fight the pandemic, before warning that the vaccine he wants to inject into every human on the planet does require their consent first.<\/p>\n
Speaking to Anderson Cooper at a CNN town hall on Thursday, Gates insisted the US was \u201cexperiencing a rebound<\/em>\u201d in Covid-19 infections even accounting for the increase in testing. That increase, the software tycoon reminded his interviewers, was accomplished by local governments in spite of – not because of – the White House.<\/p>\n Gates seemed miffed that Washington wasn\u2019t following his instructions more closely, complaining that \u201cit\u2019s possible to ramp up testing for a new pathogen very, very fast<\/em>\u201d if they\u2019d just do as they were told. He blamed the higher infection numbers in the US, which continues to lead the world with upwards of 2.5 million confirmed cases and over 125,000 deaths, on the nation\u2019s failure to adopt the same measures as everyone else.<\/p>\n \u201cOther countries<\/em>\u201d are \u201crestraining their behavior<\/em>,\u201d imposing restrictive lockdowns and quarantines, and adopting comprehensive contact tracing, Gates hinted, sounding impatient with the US\u2019 \u201cvery large case spread<\/em>,\u201d which he called \u201cembarrassing<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n Some people almost feel like [Covid-19 is] a political thing, which is unfortunate.<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u201cEven to inconvenience themselves with masks requires maybe someone they know to not only test positive but maybe get very sick as well,<\/em>\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Gates, who has repeatedly expressed a desire to inoculate the world\u2019s population with whatever vaccine emerges from the research laboratories he is funding, admitted the shot might be rolled out before it\u2019s working perfectly. \u201cIt\u2019s possible the vaccine will be better at protecting you individually and not stop you from transmitting\u2026it\u2019s not guaranteed that the vaccine will be a perfect transmission blocker<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n Boasting that \u201cthe logistics in the US are not an issue at all<\/em>,\u201d Gates bragged that \u201cwe can get this thing out there\u201d before acknowledging that \u201cyou\u2019ll have a \u2018choice\u2019 whether you take the vaccine or not, so there\u2019s that final hurdle<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n The billionaire seemed unconcerned by the \u201cvaccine hesitancy<\/em>\u201d factor, however, even though over a third of Americans have professed some concern over the safety of a coronavirus vaccine, citing the politicization of the issue, the rushed timetable, the less-than-stellar reputation of some of the individuals involved, and other issues.<\/p>\n Some 70 to 80 percent of the world\u2019s population will have to take the vaccine before anyone can hope to live a normal life again \u201cwith people taking vacations,\u201d travel, and sporting events, Gates explained, implying they had no choice.<\/p>\n