Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates warns of a more deadly strain of COVID-19.

In an interview with The Financial Times, he noted: "We're still at risk of this pandemic generating a variant that would be even more transmissive and even more fatal.”

Bill Gates added: "We haven't even seen the worst of it. While not wanting to be a 'voice of doom and gloom' the risk of a more virulent variant emerging is "way above 5%.”

In order to quickly identify global health threats, as well as improve coordination between countries, he called on the world to create a group of international experts, from epidemiologists to creators of computer models. He noted that more investments are needed to prevent a new epidemic.

He added the WHO should create a "leading" team of specialists, the cost of which he estimated at about $ 1 billion a year.

At the same time, he admitted that he was not sure whether an international consensus could be reached on increasing WHO funding. The Financial Times reminded that in 2015 Gates had warned that the world was not ready for the next inevitable epidemic.