Coronavirus: WHO waits for China to approve pandemic origins investigators
- It’s up to Beijing to decide on list of team candidates, WHO health emergencies chief says
- Mission’s legitimacy rests on who is involved and how it will be run, observers say
WHO health emergencies programme executive director Mike Ryan told a special meeting of the organisation’s executive board on Monday that the WHO had selected expert candidates from around the world for the mission and it was now up to Beijing to say who would be on the international team and when they would enter China.
“A list of candidates has been submitted to the Chinese authorities for their consideration and for next steps in order to deploy that team,” Ryan told the advisory group of member state representatives, without saying when the list was sent.
In early August, two WHO experts worked with Chinese health officials and scientists to lay the groundwork for the investigation. A bigger mission of international experts had been expected to start its investigation in the central Chinese city of Wuhan – the outbreak’s first epicentre – “a matter of weeks” after that, the WHO said in July.
At Monday’s meeting, representatives from the United States, the European Union, and Australia called on the WHO to send the team and share more details about the mission.
“Transparency around this work is critical, we are keen to see further information on the membership of the international team and its programme of work,” Australian associate health secretary and WHO executive board member Caroline Edwards said.