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Ethereum’s founder, Vitalik Buterin, who has remained largely inactive on social media for about six months, resurfaced today with critical declarations. In one of his rare public appearances, he vowed to devote less time to social media in 2023.
Ethereum Founder Reveals
Last year, Buterin allocated $100 million for COVID research. Today, he doubled this figure, promising to dedicate another $100 million for urgent research programs. Vitalik, emphasizing the urgency of the situation, announced, “Sandeep and I concluded that these projects have high impact and require grant support. Therefore, we will channel another $100 million to these projects. COVID and future pandemics are a global problem, necessitating a global solution that combines pioneering scientific innovations and field applications worldwide.”
Listing his priorities, Buterin stated a commitment to insisting on maximum applicable open-source for everything they fund and focusing on solutions based on medical and infrastructure work—transparent and open to public scrutiny—rather than radical behavior changes.
No New Pandemic
The two primary focus areas for the Ethereum founder are improving air quality and addressing the issues faced by those who have had COVID. “Particular emphasis is on indoor air quality. CovidIsAirborne, hence focusing on airborne transmission is a necessary part of a long-term solution for COVID and many other pandemics. This includes improving ventilation, HEPA filtration, and experimental technologies like UVC irradiation.”
He also stressed the ongoing issues of those who have had COVID, stating, “The most pronounced risks of Covid today are the large number of people experiencing long-term symptoms (aka LongCovid), therefore Long Covid research continues to be a primary focus. We look forward to continued collaboration between our teams and networks. COVID will not end on its own, and the risk of the pandemic/hyperendemic turning into a more acute situation remains. Pandemics beyond Covid continue to be a significant risk in the 21st century. We eagerly await continuing our efforts to live better with airborne viruses and ultimately without them. We can do the necessary work to understand, prevent, and treat Covid. And we can stop airborne pathogens with clean air, just like we stopped cholera with clean water 100 years ago.”
