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WHO appreciates China’s openness on identifying COVID-19 source

Michael Ryan, executive director of WHO Health Emergencies Programme, also said he is ‘pleased’ to see the publication of the first peer-reviewed journal publications of the vaccine studies from China.

WHO appreciates China’s openness on identifying COVID-19 source

(Photo: IANS)

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said it appreciates China’s openness to joint efforts by the international science community to identify the source of COVID-19 coronavirus, and that such a scientific mission should consist of “the right mix of scientific experts from a multinational perspective”.

“We’ve been in discussions day-to-day with our colleagues in China about putting together the necessary scientific inquiries into the origin of the virus,” Michael Ryan, executive director of WHO Health Emergencies Programme, said in a press conference in Geneva on Monday.

“I think the authorities in China, governments around the world and ourselves are very keen to understand the animal origin of the virus itself. And I am very pleased to hear a very consistent message coming from China, which is one of openness to such an approach,” he added.

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“So I think we will be very pleased to continue for those discussions. I don’t believe there is a date yet for a scientific mission, but we will be looking forward to doing that as so on as possible and with the right mix of scientific experts from a multinational perspective to join such a team,” he said.

“We have been in regular contact with our colleagues in China and they have all the expertise in country to do this. We welcome the opportunity to work with them and with the international community, to really understand the virus’ origins and the animal human interface,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead COVID-19 of WHO Health Emergencies Programme.

Meanwhile, Ryan said he was “pleased” to see the publication of the first peer-reviewed journal publications of the vaccine studies from China.

“I think in terms of the number of scientific publications that have come from China over the last number of months is very good and the number of scientific collaborations between Chinese institutions and institutions all over the world is also a very positive sign,” he said.

On Sunday, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China was open to joint efforts by the international science community to identify the source of the virus, and the process must be professional, impartial and constructive.

Earlier, a total of 62 countries, including India, backed a joint effort by Australia and European Union, calling for an independent inquiry into the World Health Organisation’s response to the Coronavirus pandemic, according to a draft resolution proposed for the 73rd World Health Assembly (WHA) meeting.

The draft called for “impartial, independent and comprehensive” probe into the Coronavirus crisis. Besides, an inquiry into the actions of the WHO and “their timelines pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic”.

The resolution had, meanwhile, put pressure on China as it has been widely speculated that the novel Coronavirus emerged from the wet markets in the country, jumping species from bat to human.

The resolution didn’t mention China’s name but said that there is need to continue to work closely with other organizations to “identify the zoonotic source of the virus and the route of introduction to human population, including possible role of intermediate hosts” and to enable this through “collaborative field missions.”

The two-day virtual annual meeting came at a time when WHO had attracted unprecedented global attention for its coordinating and advisory role during the pandemic.

But the organization has not escaped criticism nor controversy during its handling of the crisis, with the bulk of accusations of mismanagement coming from the US government, but also Australia and Germany.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has weathered much of the criticism and has been accused by US President Donald Trump of being biased towards Chinese information in the first weeks of the outbreak at the beginning of the year.

Ghebreyesus famously said that China had set “a new standard for outbreak control” and that the country’s actions had “bought the world time”.

(With inputs from IANS)

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