US cites ‘deep concerns’ over WHO's Covid-19 report
WASHINGTON: The White House on Saturday asked China to make available data from the earliest days of the Covid-19 outbreak, saying it has "deep concerns" about the way the findings of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Covid-19 report were communicated.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said it was imperative the report be independent and free from "alteration by the Chinese government", echoing concerns raised by the administration of former president Donald Trump, who also moved to quit the WHO over the issue.
Dr Peter Ben Embarek, who led the WHO mission, told AFP his team had also asked for more data. He added: "There is a mix of frustration but also a mix of realistic expectations in terms of what is feasible under which time frame."
Experts believe the disease - which has killed nearly 2.4 million people worldwide - originated in bats and could have been transmitted to humans through another mammal.
But while the virus was first discovered in Wuhan in December 2019, it remains unclear if that is when and where the contagion actually began.
A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy fired back at the US with a strongly worded statement, saying America had damaged multilateral cooperation and the WHO in recent years, and should not be "pointing fingers" at China and other countries that supported the WHO during the pandemic.
RE-ENGAGE
China welcomed the US decision to re-engage with the WHO, but Washington should hold itself to the "highest standards" instead of taking aim at other countries, the spokesman said.
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday said all hypotheses were still open about the origins of Covid-19.
Mr Sullivan noted that US President Joe Biden had quickly reversed the decision to disengage from the WHO but said it was imperative to protect the organisation's credibility.
"Re-engaging the WHO also means holding it to the highest standards," Mr Sullivan said. - REUTERS, AFP
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