he Covid-19 pandemic might be fading into the background for many people in the rich world but Bill Gates, software pioneer and philanthropist, wants those in power to learn some lessons fast. In , he applies his technocratic approach to preparing the world for future public health emergencies. At the heart of Gates’s plan is a new institution he calls Germ (Global Epidemic Response and Mobilisation), composed of a few thousand experts – from epidemiologists to vaccinologists to diplomats – who would be on standby in case of a global threat.
