Jennifer K. Gates, daughter of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, received her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Friday and gleefully smashed one of the conspiracy theories surrounding vaccines.
“Sadly, the vaccine did NOT implant my genius father in my brain, if only mRNA had that power.” She wrote with a winking emoji in an Instagram post.
The joke is a reference to his father Bill Gates, the billionaire tech mogul, who has focused his philanthropic efforts with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on improving technology and access to vaccines in the developing world. It has also long warned of the possibility of a viral pandemic, long before Covid-19 spread around the world.
Bill Gates’ defense on vaccines
His advocacy for vaccines has made him a central figure in anti-vaccine conspiracy theories. One bizarre belief is that he is using the pandemic to power a vaccine with a microchip that would control people’s minds or track their location. (This is what Pfizer and Moderna’s covid-19 vaccines actually contain.)
On a Citizen Free Press forum in July, Gates said he was concerned that the false theories could have a very real impact.
“I hope it does not raise doubts about vaccines,” he said.
Beyond the joke, Jennifer Gates’ Instagram post showed the 24-year-old medical student wearing a mask and holding a “I received my COVID-19 vaccine” sticker.
“I am privileged to receive my first dose of mRNA to teach my cells to measure a protective immune response to this virus,” she wrote in the message. “As a medical student and aspiring doctor, I am grateful that you provide me with protection and security for my future practice. I urge all of you to read more and seriously consider it for yourself and your families when given the option. The more people are vaccinated, our communities will be safer for everyone.”
She also thanked those who made the vaccine possible.
“Saying thank you can hardly describe my gratitude to the doctors, scientists, public health experts, pharmacists and so many others who made this achievement possible in modern medicine. Our healthcare workers have been working tirelessly to save as many lives as possible, and this vaccine will only increase their chances of success,” she wrote.