US says WHO China mission to probe coronavirus origin lacks transparency
- UN health agency accused of not sharing enough information with member states about criteria for investigation
- Independent panel is evaluating the organisation’s management of global response to the pandemic
Speaking via video link during a week-long meeting of the UN health agency’s member countries, Garrett Grisby from the US Department of Health and Human Services said on Tuesday the criteria for the mission had not been shared with other nations.
“The (terms of reference) were not negotiated in a transparent way with all WHO member states,” he said. “Understanding the origins of Covid-19 through a transparent and inclusive investigation is what must be done.”
In recent months, a long-planned WHO-led team investigation into the animal origins of the virus in China has stalled. Although pandemic travel restrictions and the focus on stemming the overwhelming number of new Covid-19 cases have complicated matters, some scientists worry that China has still not provided key details about what research is ongoing.
The US objections came as an independent panel commissioned by the WHO to evaluate its management of the global Covid-19 response said it was considering whether the agency had enough power and financing to stop future pandemics.
Co-chair of the panel Helen Clark, former New Zealand prime minister, said the group was especially interested in establishing an accurate chronology of the very first coronavirus alerts and what responses were taken.