Microsoft founder Bill Gates says conspiracy theories surrounding COVID-19 and his organization are nonsense.
"There's no connection between any of these vaccines and any tracking type thing at all," Gates told CBS Evening News anchor and managing editor Norah O'Donnell Wednesday in a TV interview. "I don't know where that came from."
Gates has long been the target of conspiracy theories but claims about his foundation’s work have reached a fever pitch amid the pandemic.
A Yahoo News/YouGov poll released in May found that 44 percent of Republicans believe the theory claiming Gates is looking to use a coronavirus vaccine to inject a microchip into people and track the world’s population.
When it comes to fighting disinformation, Gates told O’Donnell, "I think we just need to get the truth out there.
“We need to explain our values so that people understand why we're involved in this work and why we're willing to put hundreds or billions to accelerate the progress," Gates said in the interview. "It's a little unclear to me, but I hope it'll die down as people get the facts."
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has committed more than $350 million for the development of vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics in the fight against the coronavirus.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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