Bill Gates just laid out what needs to happen to halt the coronavirus pandemic.

Gates said we need innovations in areas like treatments, vaccines, and testing.

"The coronavirus pandemic pits all of humanity against the virus," Gates said in a document posted on his blog on Thursday, adding, "This is like a world war, except in this case, we're all on the same side."

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The billionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates just laid out what it'll take for us to halt the spread of the coronavirus and return to normal following the pandemic.

Gates shared his views in a long document posted on his blog on Thursday. He said the innovations needed to come in five areas: treatments, vaccines, testing, contact tracing, and policies for reopening the economy.

Gates has long been vocal about the need to prepare for a pandemic and about how to prevent one. He's funded vaccine research and global health efforts via the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He helped start the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, which is funding research on coronavirus vaccines.

"The coronavirus pandemic pits all of humanity against the virus," Gates said in the document, adding, "This is like a world war, except in this case, we're all on the same side."