By now Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates must have got to know about the letter attributed to him, which has gone viral on social media platforms. In the letterm Gates has purportedly claimed that the novel coronavirus has a “spiritual purpose” and is “a great corrector”. So far, Bill Gates has not gone on record to claim or deny the letter.
The letter goes on to state 14 points, which it claims was written by Gates as to the lessons we should learn from Covid-19.
India Today, (which has reported the news) Anti-Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found the letter to be a hoax. Gates never wrote the letter.
The post is viral on WhatsApp and Facebook.
India Today has looked at recent interactions, interviews and articles written by Gates on Covid-19.
On March 25, 2020, Gates participated in a TED Talk where he spoke about how we should face the pandemic, but nowhere did he say that coronavirus has a “spiritual purpose”.
On March 19, 2020, Gates answered people’s queries regarding Covid-19 on Reddit.
In the entire Q&A session (https://www.gatesnotes.com/Health/A-coronavirus-AMA), he never said that he prefers to see novel coronavirus as “a great corrector”.
Gates also wrote an article titled ‘How to Respond to Covid-19’ on February 28, 2020.
Even in this article, he has not claimed that the novel coronavirus has a “spiritual purpose”.
Spanish fact-check website ‘Maldita.es’ had contacted Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation regarding the viral letter and confirmed that Bill Gates “was not the author of this letter, nor is he related to it in any way”, reported India Today.
There is no evidence which confirms that Bill Gates wrote the viral letter on Covid-19.
