Cashing in on COVID: Pandemic turns 50 doctors and scientists into BILLIONAIRES

[AMart]

The COVID-19 pandemic has helped 50 healthcare leaders become billionaires, with 28 hailing from China, where the virus first emerged in December 2019, according to Forbes.

The first case of the coronavirus was reported in Wuhan last year before quickly spreading across the world and killing more than 1.7 million people. In the US alone, there are more than 19 million confirmed infections and at least 332,723 Americans have died.

Government officials immediately turned to the healthcare industry for help with rolling out a vaccination. Moderna and Pfizer have both made good on their promises to create a vaccine for the virus by the end of 2020.

Doses of the two vaccines have already been administered in the UK and the US. And tied to those breakthroughs are 50 doctors, scientists and healthcare entrepreneurs who earned the billionaire status this year.

The most notable new billionaires are Uğur Şahin, the physician who co-founded BioNTech, which helped develop the Pfizer vaccine, and Stéphane Bancel, the CEO of Massachusetts-based Moderna.

Şahin has amassed a net worth of $4.2billion since January and Bancel has reached $4.1billion, according to Forbes.

BioNTech’s stock has increased by 160 per cent since partnering with Pfizer to develop one of the vaccines.

Bancel, a French citizen, became Moderna's CEO in 2011. He hit billionaire status in March after selling more than a million shares as the firm’s stock surged by more than 550 per cent.

Other notable newcomers include Yuan Liping, whose net worth skyrocketed to $4.1billion after her divorce from Du Weimin in June.

Yuan, who owns 24 per cent of vaccine producer, Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products, became Canada's richest woman following their divorce.

Hu Kun, who chairs China's Contec Medical Systems, also became a billionaire this year with a net worth of $3.9billion.

bCellera is a biotech firm that uses artificial intelligence to identify promising antibody treatments for diseases.

Timothy Springer has amassed a net worth of $2billion. Springer was a founding investor in Moderna in 2010 when he put $5million into the company.

The immunologist currently has a 3.5 per cent stake in Moderna that's now worth about $1.6billion.

Sergio Stevanato has a net worth of $1.8billion as the president of Italian medical packaging firm Stevanato Group, the world’s second-largest producer of glass vials.

His company is a prominent supplier of vials for more than 40 COVID-19 vaccines.

COVID-19 produces 50 new billionaires with 28 of those being from China
According to Forbes, there are 10 notable new healthcare leaders who have claimed the billionaire status:

1. Uğur Şahin, of Germany - Net Worth: $4.2billion

2. Stéphane Bancel, of France - Net worth: $4.1billion

3. Yuan Liping, of Canada - Net worth: $4.1billion

4. Hu Kun, of China - Net worth: $3.9billion

5. Carl Hansen, of Canada - Net worth: $2.9billion

6. Timothy Springer, of the US - Net worth: $2billion

7. Sergio Stevanato, of Italy - Net worth: $1.8billion

8. Robert Langer, of the US - Net worth: $1.5billion

9. Premchand Godha, of India - Net worth: $1.4billion

10. August Troendle, of the US - Net worth: $1.3billion

Forbes reported an additional 40 new billionaires coming out of the healthcare industry amid the 2020 pandemic. They are as follows:

11. Li Juanquan & family, of China - Net worth: $7.9billion

12. Jian Jun, of China - Net worth: $4.4billion

13. Ye Xiaoping, of China - Net worth: $4.2billion

14. Hao Hong, of the US - Net worth: $3.4billion

15. Jin Lei, of China - Net worth: $3.2billion

16. Liu Fangyi, of China - Net worth: $3.2billion

17. Lv Jianming, of China - Net worth: $3.1billion

18. Gan Zhongru, of China - Net worth: $2.8billion

19. Weng Xianding, of China - Net worth: $2.8billion

20. Chen Xiao Ying, of China - Net worth: $2.7billion

21. Xie Juhua & family, of China - Net worth: $2.6billion

22. Dai Lizhong, of China - Net worth: $2.5billion

23. Miao Yongjun, of China - Net worth: $2.5billion

24. Hu Gengxi & family, of China - Net worth: $2.3billion

25. Li Zhibiao, of China - Net worth: $2.3billion

26. Lin Zhixiong & family, of China - Net worth: $2.1billion

27. Alberto Siccardi & family, of Switzerland - Net worth: $2.1billion

28. Gao Yi & family, of China - Net worth: $2billion

29. Lin Zhijun, of China - Net worth: $2billion

30. Xie Liangzhi & family, of China - Net worth: $2billion

31. Chen Baohua, of China - Net worth: $1.8billion

32. Zhu Yiwen & family, of China - Net worth: $1.8billion

33. Li Wenmei & family, of China - Net worth: $1.7billion

34. Lin Jie & family, of China - Net worth: $1.7billion

35. Liu Xiucai & family, of the US - Net worth: $1.6billion

36. Pu Zhongjie & family, of China - Net worth: $1.6billion

37. Rao Wei & family, of China - Net worth: $1.6billion

38. Ren Jinsheng & family, of China - Net worth: $1.6billion

39. Xiong Jun & family, of China - Net worth: $1.5billion

40. Yi Xianzhong & family, of China - Net worth: $1.5billion

41. Felix Baker, of the US - Net worth: $1.4billion

42. Julian Baker, of the US - Net worth: $1.4billion

43. Rajendra Agarwal, of India - Net worth: $1.3billion

44. Banwarilal Bawri, of India - Net worth: $1.3billion

45. Girdharilal Bawri, of India - Net worth: $1.3billion

46. Benedicte Find, of Denmark - Net worth: $1.3billion

47. Alan Miller & family, of the US - Net worth: $1.3billion

48. Zhong Ming & family, of China - Net worth: $1.3billion

49. Yuan Jiandong & family, of China - Net worth: $1.1billion

50. Fan Minhua, of China - Net worth: $1.1billion

COVID-19 pandemic turns 50 healthcare leaders into billionaires

The COVID-19 pandemic has helped 50 healthcare leaders earn the billionaire status and of those, 28 hail from China, where the virus first emerged in December 2019.

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