Billionaire philanthropist and Microsoft founder Bill Gates said on Wednesday he tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms. “I’ve tested positive for COVID. I’m experiencing mild symptoms and am following the experts’ advice by isolating until I’m healthy again,” Gates said on Twitter. Gates’ global health charity organization the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation had pledged in January a $150 million to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to fund its COVID-19 pandemic response. The foundation’s pledge comes on top of hundreds of millions committed to the global response to the coronavirus pandemic including support to vaccine makers, and diagnostics and treatments developers. Gates has been the subject of many conspiracy theories involving the origin of COVID-19, with rumours on the internet alleging that the billionaire created the virus to try to control people and profit from the virus. Others claimed Gates was planning to implant people with microchips to combat COVID-19. The co-founder of the Gates foundation has dismissed all of those allegations as “crazy conspiracy theories” in multiple interviews over the past two years.