Is Bill Gates behind widespread COVID-19 testing, and does he have ownership in the World Health Organization? No, that's not true.
The claims are the latest in a long-standing campaign by some within the anti-vaccine movement to paint Gates as a depopulation advocate - in part because of a 2015 Ted Talk and a 2011 CNN interview where the Microsoft founder discussed a number of issues, including vaccines and how the world was not prepared for a pandemic.
The claims are part of a meme making the rounds on social media, including this Facebook post (archived here) published on March 20, 2020. It reads:
If you get tested for CV.. they got your DNA 🧬.. who is behind the tests? Bill Gates.Who owns 15% of the WHO? Bill Gates.Who funded the labin Wuhan? Bill Gates.
Who's behind the Pandemic movie on Netflix? Bill Gates..Who heavily funds vaccinesWho has vocalized the need forWho hosted event 201 , 🦠a high-level pandemic exercise on October 18, 2019, in New York, NY that illustrated areas where public/private partnerships will be necessary during the response to a severe pandemic in order to diminish large-scale economic and societal consequences? Bill Gates.Who recently stepped down as CEO of MicrosoftNothing to see here.
Users on social media saw this post:
Using the hashtags #whereisbillgates and #crimesagainsthumanity, the meme makes a series of allegations against Gates, including that he is behind COVID-19 testing, he funded the Wuhan, China, lab, and he was behind the Netflix series "Pandemic."
Lead Stories took a look at the claims:
If you get tested for CV.. they got your DNA 🧬.. who is behind the tests? Bill Gates.
No, Gates is not behind the testing. Every country is conducting its own tests, and it depends on the country as to how the information is stored and dessiminated. In the United States, state and local public health departments have received tests from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while medical providers are getting tests from commercial manufacturers, the CDC said.
Who owns 15% of the WHO? Bill Gates.
No, Gates doesn't have ownership in the World Health Organization. WHO was established in 1948 as a specialized agency of the United Nations, and it is part of the U.N. Sustainable Development Group. It is governed by the World Health Assembly, which is made up of 194 member nations.
Who funded the lab in Wuhan? Bill Gates.
No, Gates did not fund the lab in Wuhan, China. The Wuahn Institute of Virology was founded in 1956 and is funded by the People's Republic of China, meaning it is a state-controlled lab that tightly controls its research and release of results. It has been a target of a number of conspiracy theories.
Who's behind the Pandemic movie on Netflix? Bill Gates.
No, Gates is not behind the 2020 series that examines the process of developing a flu vaccine, as well as the effects of the anti-vaccine movement. Gates does not appear in the series, though he is featured in another Netflix series called "Explained."
Who heavily funds vaccines? Bill Gates.
This is true. Among the work the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation does is related to vaccines.
Who has vocalized the need for population control? Bill Gates.
No, that's not true. The claim was made by the now-defunct conspiracy site, YourNewsWire, which took a series of interviews with Gates and stitched them together. It used comments he made about reproductive health and vaccines to push its depopulation conspiracy.
Who hosted Event 201, a high-level pandemic exercise on October 18, 2019, in New York, NY that illustrated areas where public/private partnerships will be necessary during the response to a severe pandemic in order to diminish large-scale economic and societal consequences? Bill Gates.
This is partly true. The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, in partnership with the World Economic Forum and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, hosted Event 201, according to Johns Hopkins.
Who recently stepped down as CEO of Microsoft to focus more time on their corrupt foundation? Bill Gates.
Gates announced on March 13, 2020, in a LinkedIn post that he was stepping down from "both public boards on which I serve -- Microsoft and Berkshire Hathaway -- to dedicate more time to philanthropic priorities including global health and development, education and my increasing engagement in tackling climate change."
The post ends with the comment, "Nothing to see here. #WhereIsBillGates? #CrimesAgainstHumanity"
A look at the facts shows there's a lot to see, and almost every claim is false.
