Receive free Coronavirus updates
We’ll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest Coronavirus news every morning.
The chief of the World Health Organization urges China to provide more information on the origins of Covid-19. He is prepared to send a second team to investigate the matter, as the pandemic’s origins remain unclear even after four years since the initial cases emerged in Wuhan.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says, “We’re pushing China to cooperate, and we’re asking other countries to raise the issue during their meetings with Beijing. We have already requested information in writing and are willing to send a team if they permit.”
The comments by the WHO chief come as health authorities update vaccines due to a rise in coronavirus cases. While experts agree that the world is no longer in the acute phase of the pandemic, the global health body emphasizes the need for increased surveillance of highly mutated variants such as BA.2.86 and other Omicron subvariants.
Next week, world leaders will discuss pandemic preparedness for the first time during the UN General Assembly in New York.
In January 2020, Tedros personally visited Beijing to convince Chinese President Xi Jinping to allow the first Covid-19 mission of WHO experts into the country. The mission, led by Bruce Aylward, aimed to investigate the origins of the virus.
The possible origins of Covid-19 include a zoonotic transmission from animals to humans through wet food markets in Wuhan or a accidental leak from the city’s virology laboratory. However, no scientific consensus has been reached, and Tedros states that all possibilities are still being considered.
Tedros states, “Until we have definitive evidence, we cannot make conclusive statements. But we will find the answer; it’s only a matter of time.”
Regarding his meeting with Xi, Tedros says, “I met with the president. The officials below him initially refused to let us send a team. So I had to travel to convince him of the importance of the mission.”
Shortly after Tedros’ meeting with Xi, the WHO declared Covid-19 a public health emergency of international concern, the highest possible designation. The designation was removed in May of this year.
The WHO faced criticism for being lenient towards China’s initial response, which allegedly allowed the virus to spread globally. However, Tedros rejects this criticism, stating that the organization collaborated with China and openly criticized Beijing when they did not cooperate with the origin investigation.
In early 2021, the WHO conducted its first origins mission in China, but the report was inconclusive and faced heavy criticism due to China’s lack of cooperation. Tedros explains that private discussions were held initially, but after Beijing refused to cooperate, the WHO made the situation public.
Tedros says, “Knowing the origin will help us prevent the next pandemic. It’s a matter of science. It would be morally incorrect if we don’t find out what happened.”
He acknowledges that “the pandemic was politicized from the start.” In mid-2020, former US president Donald Trump temporarily withdrew funding and threatened to withdraw from the WHO, which complicated efforts to build global solidarity in managing the public health crisis.
Despite the lack of answers for those affected by the pandemic, Tedros believes that the crisis has made governments recognize the importance of strengthening their health systems and considering health as an investment that can prevent future pandemics.
Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
