False: Bill Gates admits that 700,000 people will be harmed or killed by his foundation's COVID-19 vaccines.

Context

On April 7, 2020, CNBC interviewed Bill Gates, discussing the COVID-19 pandemic and his efforts to help produce a vaccine. Since this broadcast, many social media posts have claimed that Gates "admitted" that 700,000 people would be "harmed or killed by his coronavirus vaccines."  

Similar claims that Gates said COVID-19 vaccines are unsuitable for older people also circulated on social media, with one such caption reading, "Y'all ready for your Corona Cocktail? BILL GATES ADMITS HIS COVID19 VACCINE WILL KILL/RUIN 700,000 LIVES. Amp it up for older people! 700,000 people will suffer from that. " 

However, a quote from the CNBC interview has been taken out of context, and these claims are false. 

In Fact 

In the CNBC interview, Gates was asked about the timeline of the development of COVID-19 vaccines. He was not talking about his foundation's own vaccine, but about the general timeline of vaccine development. He explained that the COVID-19 vaccine could be ready in about 18 months if everything went smoothly. He added, "The efficacy of vaccines in older people is always a huge challenge," before discussing how the influenza vaccine is not that effective in older people, so vaccinating younger people benefits all ages, especially the elderly.

Additionally, he mentioned how it is essential to ensure that vaccine side effects should be reduced, referring to the number 700,000 in a hypothetical example to illustrate the importance of this. "You know, if we have 1 in 10,000 side effects, that's way more, 700,000 people who will suffer from that. So, really understanding the safety at gigantic scale across all age ranges — you know, pregnant, male, female, undernourished, existing comorbidities — it's very, very hard (sic)," Gates explained. 

Gates' Foundation told AP News, "Gates' reference was hypothetical. Strong scientific evidence shows that vaccines are safe and they have a proven track record of preventing diseases." Logically also reached out to the Bill Gates Foundation, who responded by stating "the claim is false."

It is important to note that this interview and the claims pertaining to it occurred in April 2020, when COVID-19 vaccines were still in development. Many medical organizations have said that COVID-19 vaccines are safe for older people and that they are not fatal. Mayo Clinic states, “The safety of these vaccines has been studied extensively. They've been tested now in about 75,000 patients in total, and the incidence of adverse effects is very, very low." Similarly, the World Health Organization (WHO) maintains that all vaccines "have been through randomized clinical trials to test their quality, safety and efficacy. To be approved, vaccines are required to have a high efficacy rate of 50% or above. After approval, they continue to be monitored for ongoing safety and effectiveness." 

The Verdict

Gates never implied that 700,000 people would die due to the COVID-19 vaccine. His statement from an interview was taken out of context to fit an anti-vaccine narrative. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.