The origin of the coronavirus has become a matter of intense debate. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has asked countries to retest samples from Dec and Jan to determine whether the transmission of the virus happened much before it came to the world's notice.

WHO: Countries must retest older samples | COVID-19 Pandemic

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has once again defended the agency saying that it had sounded the highest level of alarm over the novel coronavirus earlier on and not all countries had listened to its advice. Watch report.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: 'WHO acted quickly and decisively' on COVID-19 alert

Australia will push for an international investigation into the coronavirus pandemic at next month’s annual meeting of the World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

China, Australia spar over COVID-19 probe: China responds with threat and insult

WHO's chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus accused countries of disregarding WHO's public health emergency warning on January 30. Watch report.

Coronavirus Pandemic: 'World should've listened to us' says WHO Chief

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on January 30, WHO triggered its "highest" global emergency alert by declaring<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/no-widespread-undetected-covid-19-community-transmission-we-have-won-that-battle-new-zealand-pm-jacinda-ardern-295147"> COVID-19</a> a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. At the time, there were fewer than 100 cases and no deaths outside China.&nbsp;

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On 30 January 2020, WHO triggered its highest global emergency alert 🚨 by declaring <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COVID19</a> a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. At the time, there were fewer than 100 cases and no deaths outside China. 
 
📽️<a href="https://twitter.com/mrigankshail?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mrigankshail</a> <a href="https://t.co/9VftkK2GYh">pic.twitter.com/9VftkK2GYh</a>
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) <a href="https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1254779294800211970?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-reopens-schools-despite-fear-of-second-wave-of-coronavirus-295164">Also Read:&nbsp;China reopens schools despite fear of second wave of coronavirus</a>

"The world should have listened to WHO then, carefully," Tedros told a virtual press conference.

President Trump had stopped funds to&nbsp;the UN health body over "mismanaging" the virus earlier while alleging that it had a "China bais".

However, Tedros&nbsp;said the WHO had given "sound advice from the beginning "based on the best science and evidence", however, he added that "we do not have any mandate to force countries to take our advice."

"Every country could have triggered all its public health measures, I think that suffices the importance of listening to WHO's advice," the WHO chief asserted.

"We advised the whole world to implement a comprehensive public health approach, and we said find, test, isolate, and do contact tracing," he said.

"You can check for yourselves: countries who followed that are in a better position than others. This is fact," the WHO chief said, adding "it is up to the countries to reject or accept."

"Each country takes its own responsibility." The global pandemic which has now reached 192 countries has claimed over 206,000 lives worldwide with the United States accounting for over 55,000 lives.

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on January 30, WHO triggered its "highest" global emergency alert by declaring COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on January 30, WHO triggered its "highest" global emergency alert by declaring COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. At the time, there were fewer than 100 cases and no deaths outside China. On 30 January 2020, WHO triggered its highest global emergency alert 🚨 by declaring #COVID19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. At the time, there were fewer than 100 cases and no deaths outside China. 📽️@mrigankshail pic.twitter.com/9VftkK2GYh — World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) April 27, 2020 × Also Read: China reopens schools despite fear of second wave of coronavirus "The world should have listened to WHO then, carefully," Tedros told a virtual press conference. President Trump had stopped funds to the UN health body over "mismanaging" the virus earlier while alleging that it had a "China bais". However, Tedros said the WHO had given "sound advice from the beginning "based on the best science and evidence", however, he added that "we do not have any mandate to force countries to take our advice." "Every country could have triggered all its public health measures, I think that suffices the importance of listening to WHO's advice," the WHO chief asserted. "We advised the whole world to implement a comprehensive public health approach, and we said find, test, isolate, and do contact tracing," he said. "You can check for yourselves: countries who followed that are in a better position than others. This is fact," the WHO chief said, adding "it is up to the countries to reject or accept." "Each country takes its own responsibility." The global pandemic which has now reached 192 countries has claimed over 206,000 lives worldwide with the United States accounting for over 55,000 lives.

Had warned about the virus on Jan 30, world should have listened to us then, carefully: WHO

The novel coronavirus caused another grim milestone as the global death toll soared past 200,000 on Sunday.&nbsp;

The United States remains the worst-hit coronavirus country with 53,511 deaths and 936,293 confirmed infections. If we look at the continents, coronavirus has most impacted Europe with 122,171 deaths. In Italy, Spain and France, the death toll rose to 26,384, 22,902, and 22,614 respectively. The United Kingdom has witnessed 20,319.COVID-19 deaths so far.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/coronavirus-us-witnesses-nearly-2500-deaths-in-last-24-hours-toll-over-53000-294797">Coronavirus: US witnesses nearly 2,500 deaths in last 24 hours; toll over 53,000</a>

However, a lot of Western countries reported a fall in coronavirus cases and deaths on Saturday, giving much-needed hope.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/britain-passes-milestone-of-20000-coronavirus-hospital-deaths-294787">Britain passes milestone of 20,000 coronavirus hospital deaths</a>

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned countries against issuing of "immunity passports" to patients who have recovered, adding that they might not be immmune to reinfection. &nbsp;

"There is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from #COVID19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection," the UN health agency said, in a tweet.&nbsp;

The United Nations on Saturday insisited on a global effort to fight the pandemic, with the UN chief Antonio Guterres urging international organisations, world leaders and the private sector to collaborate in the initiative.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The novel coronavirus caused another grim milestone as the global death toll soared past 200,000 on Sunday. The United States remains the worst-hit coronavirus country with 53,511 deaths and 936,293 confirmed infections.

The novel coronavirus caused another grim milestone as the global death toll soared past 200,000 on Sunday. The United States remains the worst-hit coronavirus country with 53,511 deaths and 936,293 confirmed infections. If we look at the continents, coronavirus has most impacted Europe with 122,171 deaths. In Italy, Spain and France, the death toll rose to 26,384, 22,902, and 22,614 respectively. The United Kingdom has witnessed 20,319.COVID-19 deaths so far. Also read | Coronavirus: US witnesses nearly 2,500 deaths in last 24 hours; toll over 53,000 However, a lot of Western countries reported a fall in coronavirus cases and deaths on Saturday, giving much-needed hope. Also read | Britain passes milestone of 20,000 coronavirus hospital deaths Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned countries against issuing of "immunity passports" to patients who have recovered, adding that they might not be immmune to reinfection. "There is currently no evidence that people who have recovered from #COVID19 and have antibodies are protected from a second infection," the UN health agency said, in a tweet. The United Nations on Saturday insisited on a global effort to fight the pandemic, with the UN chief Antonio Guterres urging international organisations, world leaders and the private sector to collaborate in the initiative.

Global coronavirus death toll crosses 200,000 mark

China's wet markets have long been called the incubators of deadly human diseases. But the Chinese regime says that wet markets don't even exist. WION's Executive Editor Palki Sharma Upadhyay tells you more.

Gravitas: China says it has no wet markets

World leaders on Friday pledged to speed up work on tests, drugs, and vaccines to treat novel coronavirus and share them with the rest of the countries, but the United States did not participate in the initiative launched by the World Health Organization (WHO).&nbsp;

The virtual conference aimed to accelerate the development of safe and effective drugs, tests, and vaccines to prevent, diagnose, and treat the virus and ensure equal access to treatments for rich and poor.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/with-over-50000-fatalities-us-witnesses-lowest-coronavirus-death-toll-in-three-weeks-294668">With over 50,000 fatalities, US witnesses lowest coronavirus death toll in three weeks</a>

"We are facing a common threat which we can only defeat with a common approach," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said as he opened the conference.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/death-toll-in-france-due-to-coroanvirus-crosses-22200-hospitalizations-fall-294650">Death toll in France due to coroanvirus crosses 22,200; hospitalizations fall</a>

"Experience has told us that even when tools are available they have not been equally available to all. We cannot allow that to happen."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said for "global public good", the vaccine should be produced and distributed in all parts of the world.&nbsp;

French President Emmanuel Macron urged all G7 and G20 nations to back the initiative, adding "the fight against COVID-19 is a common human good and there should be no division in order to win this battle."

Earlier, US Mission in Geneva confirmed to Reuters that the country would not participate in the meet.&nbsp;

"Although the United States was not in attendance at the meeting in question, there should be no doubt about our continuing determination to lead on global health matters, including the current COVID crisis," a spokesperson of the mission said.&nbsp;

The US has been critical of WHO for its slow response to the pandemic and "China-centric" approach. US President Donald Trump, a few days ago, also froze the funding to the global health organization.&nbsp;

The virtual meet was attended by several nations from Asia, the Middle East, and Americas, but big countries like India, China, and Russia gave it a miss.&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

World leaders on Friday pledged to speed up work on tests, drugs, and vaccines to treat novel coronavirus and share them with the rest of the countries, but the United States did not participate in the initiative launched by the World Health Organization (WHO).

World leaders on Friday pledged to speed up work on tests, drugs, and vaccines to treat novel coronavirus and share them with the rest of the countries, but the United States did not participate in the initiative launched by the World Health Organization (WHO). The virtual conference aimed to accelerate the development of safe and effective drugs, tests, and vaccines to prevent, diagnose, and treat the virus and ensure equal access to treatments for rich and poor. Also read | With over 50,000 fatalities, US witnesses lowest coronavirus death toll in three weeks "We are facing a common threat which we can only defeat with a common approach," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said as he opened the conference. Also read | Death toll in France due to coroanvirus crosses 22,200; hospitalizations fall "Experience has told us that even when tools are available they have not been equally available to all. We cannot allow that to happen." German Chancellor Angela Merkel said for "global public good", the vaccine should be produced and distributed in all parts of the world. French President Emmanuel Macron urged all G7 and G20 nations to back the initiative, adding "the fight against COVID-19 is a common human good and there should be no division in order to win this battle." Earlier, US Mission in Geneva confirmed to Reuters that the country would not participate in the meet. "Although the United States was not in attendance at the meeting in question, there should be no doubt about our continuing determination to lead on global health matters, including the current COVID crisis," a spokesperson of the mission said. The US has been critical of WHO for its slow response to the pandemic and "China-centric" approach. US President Donald Trump, a few days ago, also froze the funding to the global health organization. The virtual meet was attended by several nations from Asia, the Middle East, and Americas, but big countries like India, China, and Russia gave it a miss.

World leaders unite to accelerate COVID-19 tests, vaccine; US stays away from WHO initiative

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday that there was "no evidence" so far to suggest that people who have recovered from novel coronavirus cannot get infected from the same virus again.&nbsp;

The WHO also warned against issuing "immunity passports" or "risk-free certificates" to patients who have recovered, saying the action might lead to increase of the virus's spread as the standard precautions might be ignored.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/world-leaders-unite-to-accelerate-covid-19-tests-vaccine-us-stays-away-from-who-initiative-294673">World leaders unite to accelerate COVID-19 tests, vaccine; US stays away from WHO initiative</a>

Last week, Chile&nbsp;said that it would start distributing "health passports" to people who have recovered from the illness.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/with-over-50000-fatalities-us-witnesses-lowest-coronavirus-death-toll-in-three-weeks-294668">With over 50,000 fatalities, US witnesses lowest coronavirus death toll in three weeks</a> 
 
Earlier, on Friday the global health agency collaborated with world leaders and the private sector on an initiative for a quick development of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments and equal access for all.&nbsp;

So far, at least 196,298 have died globally from coronavirus and the number of infected cases stand at 2,809,231, according to a Reuters tally. At least 723,023 people have also recovered from COVID-19.&nbsp;

(With Reuters inputs) 
&nbsp;

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday that there was "no evidence" so far to suggest that people who have recovered from novel coronavirus cannot get infected from the same virus again.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday that there was "no evidence" so far to suggest that people who have recovered from novel coronavirus cannot get infected from the same virus again. The WHO also warned against issuing "immunity passports" or "risk-free certificates" to patients who have recovered, saying the action might lead to increase of the virus's spread as the standard precautions might be ignored. Also read | World leaders unite to accelerate COVID-19 tests, vaccine; US stays away from WHO initiative Last week, Chile said that it would start distributing "health passports" to people who have recovered from the illness. Also read | With over 50,000 fatalities, US witnesses lowest coronavirus death toll in three weeks Earlier, on Friday the global health agency collaborated with world leaders and the private sector on an initiative for a quick development of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments and equal access for all. So far, at least 196,298 have died globally from coronavirus and the number of infected cases stand at 2,809,231, according to a Reuters tally. At least 723,023 people have also recovered from COVID-19. (With Reuters inputs)

No evidence that people recovered from coronavirus won't get reinfected: WHO

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the COVID-19 pandemic shows the need to overhaul the World Health Organization, warning that Washington may never restore WHO funding and could even work to set up an alternative to the U.N. body instead.

Mike Pompeo: US may never restore funding to WHO

World Health Organization's(WHO) regional director Hans Kluge said that there was "unimaginable human tragedy" at Europe's care homes with the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/covid-19-uk-death-toll-drops-in-last-24-hours-as-infection-cases-rise-294338">coronavirus </a>outbreak.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/now-sweden-shuts-chinas-confucius-institutes-294344">Also Read:&nbsp;Now, Sweden shuts China's Confucius institutes</a>

Kluge informed that "up to half of those who have died from COVID-19 were residents in long-term care facilities", while describing the situation as "deeply concerning".

Kluge asserted that there was "an immediate and urgent need to rethink and adjust how long-term care facilities operate."

"Even among very old people who are frail and live with multiple chronic conditions, many have a good chance of recovery if they are well-cared for," he added.

Meanwhile, &nbsp;WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan said leaving the elderly population islated was a difficult thing to manage.

"These are trade-offs that are very difficult to manage," Ryan said.

"There are many, many older people living in long-term care facilities who at the best of times are lonely, and the last number of weeks has been a terrible ordeal for them, both to be further isolated but also with the constant threat of potentially becoming sick with this disease," Ryan stressed.

Europe has been the hardest hit due to the virus with Italy, Spain, France and Germany reporting high casulties with over 45,000 casautlites majority of them have been the elderly.

Nearly half of all reported cases of the new coronavirus worldwide have been registered in the WHO's European region, which stretches from the Atlantic to the Pacific &nbsp; 
&nbsp;

World Health Organization's(WHO) regional director Hans Kluge said that there was "unimaginable human tragedy" at Europe's care homes with the coronavirus outbreak.

World Health Organization's(WHO) regional director Hans Kluge said that there was "unimaginable human tragedy" at Europe's care homes with the coronavirus outbreak. Also Read: Now, Sweden shuts China's Confucius institutes Kluge informed that "up to half of those who have died from COVID-19 were residents in long-term care facilities", while describing the situation as "deeply concerning". Kluge asserted that there was "an immediate and urgent need to rethink and adjust how long-term care facilities operate." "Even among very old people who are frail and live with multiple chronic conditions, many have a good chance of recovery if they are well-cared for," he added. Meanwhile, WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan said leaving the elderly population islated was a difficult thing to manage. "These are trade-offs that are very difficult to manage," Ryan said. "There are many, many older people living in long-term care facilities who at the best of times are lonely, and the last number of weeks has been a terrible ordeal for them, both to be further isolated but also with the constant threat of potentially becoming sick with this disease," Ryan stressed. Europe has been the hardest hit due to the virus with Italy, Spain, France and Germany reporting high casulties with over 45,000 casautlites majority of them have been the elderly. Nearly half of all reported cases of the new coronavirus worldwide have been registered in the WHO's European region, which stretches from the Atlantic to the Pacific

Unimaginable human tragedy in Europe's care homes: WHO on COVID-19 epidemic

The deadly coronavirus pandemic has not only generated a health emergency but a great economic crisis globally. Many countries around the world are in the infancy stage of the fight against it.

The World Health Organization has warned that the coronavirus crisis will not end any time soon.

"Make no mistake: we have a long way to go. This virus will be with us for a long time," Tedros told a virtual press conference.

"Most countries are still in the early stages of their epidemics. And some that were affected early in the pandemic are now starting to see a resurgence in cases."

From Globalisation to economic activities the current crisis could upturn everything we take for granted.&nbsp;

More than 183,120 people around the world have died after contracting COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The infection has spread to 2,626,929 people in more than 100 countries and shows no signs of slowing down. The intensity of its impact signals fundamental shifts in the way humans will live and work.&nbsp;

Nations around the world have been scrambling to fight the pandemic while desperately seeking ways to limit the devastating economic fallout. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

The deadly coronavirus pandemic has not only generated a health emergency but a great economic crisis globally. Many countries around the world are in the infancy stage of the fight against it.

The deadly coronavirus pandemic has not only generated a health emergency but a great economic crisis globally. Many countries around the world are in the infancy stage of the fight against it. The World Health Organization has warned that the coronavirus crisis will not end any time soon. "Make no mistake: we have a long way to go. This virus will be with us for a long time," Tedros told a virtual press conference. "Most countries are still in the early stages of their epidemics. And some that were affected early in the pandemic are now starting to see a resurgence in cases." From Globalisation to economic activities the current crisis could upturn everything we take for granted. More than 183,120 people around the world have died after contracting COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. The infection has spread to 2,626,929 people in more than 100 countries and shows no signs of slowing down. The intensity of its impact signals fundamental shifts in the way humans will live and work. Nations around the world have been scrambling to fight the pandemic while desperately seeking ways to limit the devastating economic fallout. (With inputs from agencies)

Coronavirus crisis is not going away anytime soon: WHO

UEFA has denied receiving any request from WHO regarding suspending play of football until the end of 2021 as a preventive measure for a second wave of the global coronavirus.&nbsp;

Earlier an Italian publication suggested that the World Health Organisation (WHO) had sent a notice to UEFA regarding the suspension. According to the publication, UEFA received notice from the WHO during a two-and-a-half-hour Executive Committee meeting last Thursday, which recommended football is not resumed until the start of 2022 to avoid a second wave of COVID-19.

According to the reports, a UEFA spokesperson talked to a British Daily newspaper where he denied any such requests from the WHO. He said that there were no such requests from the WHO to cancel or stall the game of football until late 2021.&nbsp;

WHO has played a major role in helping the Olympic committee in rescheduling the games to 2021.&nbsp;

The World Health Organisation has also released a statement: “This is not correct. WHO never recommended that football should no longer be played until the end of 2021.”

The UEFA could also determine current rankings in the league tables across the European leagues to determine who qualifies for UEFA Champions League and who does not. This comes as a major shocker for Arsenal as they were expected to miss out the tournament for yet another year but they currently are placed fourth above Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspurs and Leicester City.&nbsp;

The UEFA's Executive Committee will meet again on Thursday after calendar proposals were proffered to the 55 member associates on Tuesday through videoconference, and an announcement on the topic is expected to follow as well as the latest on certain domestic leagues across Europe being ended immediately due to government regulations preventing football from restarting.&nbsp;

UEFA has denied receiving any request from WHO regarding suspending play of football until the end of 2021 as a preventive measure for a second wave of the global coronavirus.

UEFA has denied receiving any request from WHO regarding suspending play of football until the end of 2021 as a preventive measure for a second wave of the global coronavirus. Earlier an Italian publication suggested that the World Health Organisation (WHO) had sent a notice to UEFA regarding the suspension. According to the publication, UEFA received notice from the WHO during a two-and-a-half-hour Executive Committee meeting last Thursday, which recommended football is not resumed until the start of 2022 to avoid a second wave of COVID-19. According to the reports, a UEFA spokesperson talked to a British Daily newspaper where he denied any such requests from the WHO. He said that there were no such requests from the WHO to cancel or stall the game of football until late 2021. WHO has played a major role in helping the Olympic committee in rescheduling the games to 2021. The World Health Organisation has also released a statement: “This is not correct. WHO never recommended that football should no longer be played until the end of 2021.” The UEFA could also determine current rankings in the league tables across the European leagues to determine who qualifies for UEFA Champions League and who does not. This comes as a major shocker for Arsenal as they were expected to miss out the tournament for yet another year but they currently are placed fourth above Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspurs and Leicester City. The UEFA's Executive Committee will meet again on Thursday after calendar proposals were proffered to the 55 member associates on Tuesday through videoconference, and an announcement on the topic is expected to follow as well as the latest on certain domestic leagues across Europe being ended immediately due to government regulations preventing football from restarting.

UEFA denies receiving any notice from WHO stating delay in football

The World Health Organisation has become a tool of "Chinese propaganda", the Trump administration has alleged, asserting that the global health agency has lost all its credibility during the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

US President Donald Trump recently announced he would put a hold on America's funding to the World Health Organisation (WHO), accusing the UN health body of becoming "China-centric" during the coronavirus pandemic.

The United States is the largest contributor to the Geneva-headquartered world body. 
"The problem with the WHO is that they've lost all credibility during this crisis," US National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien said on Tuesday.

"It's not like the WHO has been a highly-credible organisation for many years. The United States spends over half a billion dollars on the WHO. China spends about USD 40 million dollars on the WHO, about one-tenth of what the US spends, and yet the WHO has become a tool of Chinese propaganda," he alleged.

O'Brien said that on January 14, the WHO assured the US that there was no human to human transmission of the COVID-19, that well into the public health crisis in China, that turned out to be utterly false.

In February, the WHO criticised travel restrictions that were being placed on travel from China and other hotspots, not just by the US, but by other countries, he said.

"That turned out to be totally improper advice, and has been rejected by the public health professionals," he noted.

On March 11, the WHO came out with non-medical advice and said that the Communist Party of China's reaction to the virus has been an "amazing achievement" in containing it. And of now, the virus is in at least 184 countries, he said.

"So if that's an amazing achievement, I don't know what is. So we've got a real credibility problem with the WHO," he said.

The United States is working with friends and allies to see if it can be reformed, he said. 
"But one thing we will do, even though we've suspended funding, we're going to make sure that the taxpayer dollars of hard-working Americans that they want to see help our friends and partners and folks around the world who need it, we're going to make sure those dollars get delivered directly to countries, directly to the non-governmental organisations, the Red Cross, places that are fighting this disease on the front line," O'Brien said.

"Unfortunately, the WHO has just lost credibility at this point, and you know, instead of stopping, when you hit rock bottom, you stop digging. But the WHO today, apparently, is going to keep digging," he said.

The COVID-19 has claimed more than 45,000 lives and infected over 824,000 people in the US. Globally, the virus has killed 177,445 people and infected over 2.5 million, according to Johns Hopkins University data.&nbsp;

The World Health Organisation has become a tool of "Chinese propaganda", the Trump administration has alleged, asserting that the global health agency has lost all its credibility during the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

The World Health Organisation has become a tool of "Chinese propaganda", the Trump administration has alleged, asserting that the global health agency has lost all its credibility during the ongoing coronavirus crisis. US President Donald Trump recently announced he would put a hold on America's funding to the World Health Organisation (WHO), accusing the UN health body of becoming "China-centric" during the coronavirus pandemic. The United States is the largest contributor to the Geneva-headquartered world body. "The problem with the WHO is that they've lost all credibility during this crisis," US National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien said on Tuesday. "It's not like the WHO has been a highly-credible organisation for many years. The United States spends over half a billion dollars on the WHO. China spends about USD 40 million dollars on the WHO, about one-tenth of what the US spends, and yet the WHO has become a tool of Chinese propaganda," he alleged. O'Brien said that on January 14, the WHO assured the US that there was no human to human transmission of the COVID-19, that well into the public health crisis in China, that turned out to be utterly false. In February, the WHO criticised travel restrictions that were being placed on travel from China and other hotspots, not just by the US, but by other countries, he said. "That turned out to be totally improper advice, and has been rejected by the public health professionals," he noted. On March 11, the WHO came out with non-medical advice and said that the Communist Party of China's reaction to the virus has been an "amazing achievement" in containing it. And of now, the virus is in at least 184 countries, he said. "So if that's an amazing achievement, I don't know what is. So we've got a real credibility problem with the WHO," he said. The United States is working with friends and allies to see if it can be reformed, he said. "But one thing we will do, even though we've suspended funding, we're going to make sure that the taxpayer dollars of hard-working Americans that they want to see help our friends and partners and folks around the world who need it, we're going to make sure those dollars get delivered directly to countries, directly to the non-governmental organisations, the Red Cross, places that are fighting this disease on the front line," O'Brien said. "Unfortunately, the WHO has just lost credibility at this point, and you know, instead of stopping, when you hit rock bottom, you stop digging. But the WHO today, apparently, is going to keep digging," he said. The COVID-19 has claimed more than 45,000 lives and infected over 824,000 people in the US. Globally, the virus has killed 177,445 people and infected over 2.5 million, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

WHO becoming tool of 'Chinese propaganda': Trump administration

Residents of the New York's Westchester County on Monday sued the World Health Organization, accusing it of gross negligence in covering up and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Residents of the New York's Westchester County on Monday sued the World Health Organization, accusing it of gross negligence in covering up and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Three residents of Westchester County accused the WHO of failing to quickly declare a pandemic, monitor China’s response to the original outbreak, provide treatment guidelines, advise members on how to respond including through travel restrictions, and coordinate a global response. The lead plaintiffs in the suit — Richard Kling, a doctor, Steve Rotker, and Gennaro Purchia — claim they were “injured and damaged by WHO’s negligent conduct.” President Trump last week had frozen funds to the United Nations health agency over "mismanaging" the crisis and not acting fast enough as the disease spread worldwide. The US is the biggest single contributor to the United Nations' health agency. Trump had said the virus could have been contained if the WHO had accurately assessed the situation in China, where the virus broke out. World Health Organization(WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus,55, said that there "is nothing hidden from the US from day one" while adding that "there is no secret in WHO". The US has been hit the hardest with the virus with 787,901 confirmed cases and over 42,364 deaths. (With inputs from agencies)

New York residents sue World Health Organization over coronavirus response

The World Health Organisation has been constantly slammed for its lukewarm response towards the pandemic. US maintains that the WHO was very late in sounding the alarm. However, WHO is adamant that it has hidden nothing.

WHO insists it hid nothing: 'We have been warning about the virus since day 1'

People around the world are scratching their heads over one-word tweets by Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Is the WHO Chief trying to seek attention?

Wuhan Coronavirus: WHO Chief's cryptic tweets | Gravitas

What are the WHO Director-General's allegations on Taiwan?&nbsp;

The World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a press conference held on April 8 in Geneva, accused Taiwan of orchestrating attacks on him using the “N” word, racist slur even the death threats. He alleged that Taiwan’s foreign ministry and diplomats were behind this coordinated attack on him.&nbsp;

How Taiwan reacted to these allegations?&nbsp;

Taiwan foreign ministry released a press statement saying that, “It deeply regrets baseless allegations by WHO Director-General”.The statement further said that for long Taiwanese have faced “political discrimination and feeling of exclusion” to participate in the WHO. Taiwan claimed, despite being a non-member it has warned the WHO of initial community transmission in December 2019, nevertheless WHO failed to act responsibly and instead prevented Taiwan from access to WHO health networks. It further demanded an apology by the Director-General for baseless allegations.&nbsp;

Why is Taiwan not a member of the WHO?&nbsp;

Since Taiwan is not a full member of the United Nations it cannot become a full member of the WHO. China, being a permanent member of UNSC, has blocked Taiwan's access to WHO. It has even deprived Taiwan of its ‘observer status’ which it used to enjoy from 2009 to 2016. China has pressed Taiwan to either accept “One-China Principle” or else loose "observer-status".&nbsp;

Why is China not allowing Taiwan to enter WHO?&nbsp;

China demands a commitment to the 'One-China Principle' as a precondition for its entry into any bilateral and multilateral relations, recognising that there is only one-China and that is the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan is an integral part of it. While Taiwan (Republic of China) represents a thriving democracy and an alternative political system that could pose a threat to the ruling communist party. International organisations like WHO and private enterprises are the main part of Beijing's long-term strategy to win over Taiwan, for completing its long-term goal of national reunification. Their motive is to curtail Taiwan’s independence and reducing its external sovereignty-by gradually reducing its recognition by states.

What are the consequences of Taiwan being excluded from WHO?&nbsp;

With Taiwan being excluded from key UN organisations that handle disease prevention, including the WHO, denies Taiwan crucial information regarding expert briefings, prevention measures. Being one of the best health-care systems in the world, Taiwan has much to offer in control the spread of the pandemic.&nbsp;

What is Taiwan doing to gain membership of WHO?&nbsp;

With the outbreak of coronavirus, the campaign for Taiwan to enter the WHO is back in the news, with multiple countries expressing their support to the country. President Tsai Ing-wen reiterated the importance of Taiwan's position in global health issues at a reception with European guests. Members of the Taiwan UN Alliance and the Global Taiwan Medical Alliance, in a news conference at the legislature, blasted the WHO and International Civil Aviation Organisation for excluding Taiwan from access to information about the coronavirus outbreak. &nbsp;

How is the international community reacting to Taiwan’s membership of WHO?&nbsp;

There is a renewed support from the European Union, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to grant Taiwan 'observer status' in the World Health Assembly. The US Congress also passed a bill seeking for Taiwan to gain access to observer status.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

What are the WHO Director-General's allegations on Taiwan? The World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a press conference held on April 8 in Geneva, accused Taiwan of orchestrating attacks on him using the “N” word, racist slur even the death threats.

What are the WHO Director-General's allegations on Taiwan? The World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a press conference held on April 8 in Geneva, accused Taiwan of orchestrating attacks on him using the “N” word, racist slur even the death threats. He alleged that Taiwan’s foreign ministry and diplomats were behind this coordinated attack on him. How Taiwan reacted to these allegations? Taiwan foreign ministry released a press statement saying that, “It deeply regrets baseless allegations by WHO Director-General”.The statement further said that for long Taiwanese have faced “political discrimination and feeling of exclusion” to participate in the WHO. Taiwan claimed, despite being a non-member it has warned the WHO of initial community transmission in December 2019, nevertheless WHO failed to act responsibly and instead prevented Taiwan from access to WHO health networks. It further demanded an apology by the Director-General for baseless allegations. Why is Taiwan not a member of the WHO? Since Taiwan is not a full member of the United Nations it cannot become a full member of the WHO. China, being a permanent member of UNSC, has blocked Taiwan's access to WHO. It has even deprived Taiwan of its ‘observer status’ which it used to enjoy from 2009 to 2016. China has pressed Taiwan to either accept “One-China Principle” or else loose "observer-status". Why is China not allowing Taiwan to enter WHO? China demands a commitment to the 'One-China Principle' as a precondition for its entry into any bilateral and multilateral relations, recognising that there is only one-China and that is the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan is an integral part of it. While Taiwan (Republic of China) represents a thriving democracy and an alternative political system that could pose a threat to the ruling communist party. International organisations like WHO and private enterprises are the main part of Beijing's long-term strategy to win over Taiwan, for completing its long-term goal of national reunification. Their motive is to curtail Taiwan’s independence and reducing its external sovereignty-by gradually reducing its recognition by states. What are the consequences of Taiwan being excluded from WHO? With Taiwan being excluded from key UN organisations that handle disease prevention, including the WHO, denies Taiwan crucial information regarding expert briefings, prevention measures. Being one of the best health-care systems in the world, Taiwan has much to offer in control the spread of the pandemic. What is Taiwan doing to gain membership of WHO? With the outbreak of coronavirus, the campaign for Taiwan to enter the WHO is back in the news, with multiple countries expressing their support to the country. President Tsai Ing-wen reiterated the importance of Taiwan's position in global health issues at a reception with European guests. Members of the Taiwan UN Alliance and the Global Taiwan Medical Alliance, in a news conference at the legislature, blasted the WHO and International Civil Aviation Organisation for excluding Taiwan from access to information about the coronavirus outbreak. How is the international community reacting to Taiwan’s membership of WHO? There is a renewed support from the European Union, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to grant Taiwan 'observer status' in the World Health Assembly. The US Congress also passed a bill seeking for Taiwan to gain access to observer status.

Explained: The conflict between the WHO and Taiwan

The Thursday session is a followup to their March 16 video conference to go over international efforts to defeat the coronavirus.

G7 nations report more than 91,000 deaths

The World Health Organisation is facing serious accusations. It has been accused of being too 'China-centric'. Health experts say the WHO response has been slow. WION's Palki Sharma raises five questions that the WHO must answer.

Gravitas: 5 questions WHO must answer | Wuhan Coronavirus

A group of U.S. lawmakers has sent a letter to the WHO Director-General is raising questions over the health body's response to the coronavirus outbreak in China. WION's Palki Sharmangets you the details.

Gravitas: US lawmakers demands answers from WHO | Wuhan Coronavirus

In an exclusive interview to WION's Palki Sharma- Finland's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto pushed for alternatives to wet markets - calling on the WHO and the UN to come up with a plan to avoid future pandemics. Take a look.

Gravitas Exclusive: Finland's Foreign Minister on WION

World Health Organization officials on Wednesday denied that the body was “China-centric” and said that the acute phase of a pandemic was not the time to cut funding, after U.S. President Donald Trump said he may put contributions on hold.

WHO rejects claims of China bias

US President Donald Trump will convene the G7 meeting via video conference later today. This comes after Trump decided to the impersonal meeting of G7 leaders, stated to be held at Camp David. Watch the video to know what all you can expect from the G7 meet.

G7 meet on March 16: What all to expect from the meet

The World Health Organization said on Thursday that "Europe remains in the eye of the storm" with regard to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/finally-study-shows-how-iceland-model-of-early-testing-helped-in-dealing-with-coronavirus-292885">coronavirus</a> pandemic sweeping the continent.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/worldwide-coronavirus-cases-pass-2-million-death-toll-rises-to-136908-292768">Also Read:&nbsp;Worldwide coronavirus cases pass 2 million; death toll rises to 136,908</a>

Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe urged European nations to put controls in place before easing the lockdown. Germany on Thursday had announced a gradual easing of curbs with Spain which has been hard hit with the virus also allowing shops to reopen with restrictions.

French President Macron had said the country could revise its lockdown restrictions after May 11. Italy has been the worst hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic with 165,155 cases of the virus and 21, 645 deaths.

Spain too has been reeling, it has lost over 18,000 lives and has 180, 659 cases of coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins coronavirus resource centre's live tracker.

France has lost over 17,000 lives to the virus with 134, 582 cases of the virus. Germany has 134, 753 cases of COVID-19 having lost 3,804 people to the virus so far, accoring to Johns Hopkins coronavirus resource centre.

The World Health Organization said on Thursday that "Europe remains in the eye of the storm" with regard to coronavirus pandemic sweeping the continent. Also Read: Worldwide coronavirus cases pass 2 million; death toll rises to 136,908 Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe urged European nations to put controls in place before easing the lockdown.

The World Health Organization said on Thursday that "Europe remains in the eye of the storm" with regard to coronavirus pandemic sweeping the continent. Also Read: Worldwide coronavirus cases pass 2 million; death toll rises to 136,908 Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe urged European nations to put controls in place before easing the lockdown. Germany on Thursday had announced a gradual easing of curbs with Spain which has been hard hit with the virus also allowing shops to reopen with restrictions. French President Macron had said the country could revise its lockdown restrictions after May 11. Italy has been the worst hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic with 165,155 cases of the virus and 21, 645 deaths. Spain too has been reeling, it has lost over 18,000 lives and has 180, 659 cases of coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins coronavirus resource centre's live tracker. France has lost over 17,000 lives to the virus with 134, 582 cases of the virus. Germany has 134, 753 cases of COVID-19 having lost 3,804 people to the virus so far, accoring to Johns Hopkins coronavirus resource centre.

Europe remains in eye of the storm: WHO on coronavirus pandemic

Last November we planned a vacation to Europe for the following March. By the end of December, we were reading about a new viral disease spreading in China. Like any other, we began looking out for updates posted by the World Health Organisation on the virus; and up to the very end of February 2020, we thought we were safe in visiting places outside of China. But less than 24 hours before our flight, we took a call and cancelled our trip. By then it was no more a “Chinese” virus, as US President Donald Trump had elucidated once, but was slowly and surely entrapping most of the globe. We had almost been blindsided by the dallying of the most reputed health organisation globally into believing that the virus is not a breaking force outside China. &nbsp;

The WHO has been called out for its belated response to the upheaval which has, in turn, hampered relief efforts globally. But is the name-calling mere politicisation or bears substance? As an international specialised body of the UN, the basic responsibility of WHO is for international public health. However, the WHO has been lately disparaged for its dealing with the prevalent pandemic by erring on the side of China. To say the least, the WHO has come out as an exceedingly bureaucratic organisation, akin to other UN bodies and its fallacies have been exposed further by the current handling. &nbsp;&nbsp;

On December 31, 2019, the country office of WHO in China reported “pneumonia” like syndrome for an unidentified pathogen. By many estimates, this was very late in the day after the Chinese authorities had been suspected of trying to suppress the fact for a while. On January 20, 2020, China confirmed human to human transmission and on January 23, put Wuhan under quarantine. Concurrently WHO categorically stated then that this is only an emergency in China and has not yet become a global health emergency. WHO’s Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom, further added that there was no evidence of human to human transmission outside China. &nbsp;

Since the first reporting, the organisation nearly took a month to declare COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, relenting only on January 30, 2020. As such it can be commented that when public health should be the basic concern, WHO was busy making politically correct statements. First, it wholeheartedly backed China’s response to the disease, no questions asked. Second, it recommended against stalling international trade or travel and even accosted the US for imposing travel restrictions on China. So while China was, on the one hand, locking down its whole province in order to curtail transmission; on the other hand, WHO was emphatically reiterating that there no need to impose a travel ban. &nbsp;

Retrospectively, it may have been a better course for the WHO to focus itself in espousing a travel ban for China entirely rather than concentrating on showering praises at the Chinese authorities for being transparent. The World Health Organisation is not a political organisation and has no business defending governance in any country. Questions are also being raised on China stifling early warning signals. However, more importantly, it is time to fix accountability of the WHO which has been caught defending stigma against China rather than providing accurate information about the virus.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Shockingly, after over 1,18,000 cases in 114 countries which were responsible for 4291 deaths, WHO declared it a pandemic only on March 11, 2020. And finally, on March 13, WHO recommended avoiding unnecessary travel. A step called out globally as perhaps being too little, too late. The magnitude of the situation can be judged by the fact that, like us, many others would have avoided non-essential travel by simply adhering to the WHO’s directive. However, with the belated response, it is seen that many people are presently stranded globally due to the sudden restrictions imposed on travel.&nbsp;

The WHO’s Director-General’s credentials have also been brought to light in the discourse. A signed petition is circulating globally asking him to step down for his shoddy handling of the situation. Previously, even his candidature for WHO was challenged as he was accused of supporting a repressive government in Ethiopia, his home country. Even on the ebola crisis in Africa, it is widely perceived that action was taken by WHO was tardy and they did not get their act together in time.&nbsp;

It is not the first time that the world is facing a problem of such mammoth proportion. There was the 430 BC Plague, the Black Death of 1346-1353, and the Spanish Flu of the last century, among others which resulted in large scale loss of human life. Though making leaps and bounds in health and science, we are still vulnerable to new forms of diseases. Accordingly the role of WHO is paramount in early detection and prevention of these new diseases.&nbsp; &nbsp;

One such form of prevention is declaring a public health emergency of international concern. It is an efficient system that WHO uses to sound the alarm on a serious disease that may have caught the world off guard and put lives in danger. It draws immediate attention to galvanise resources and stop the disease from spreading any further or across borders. In fact, the WHO has only declared a public health emergency five times since the International Health Regulations, which govern global health emergency responses, were enacted in 2007. The first time was in 2009, with the outbreak of the H1N1 swine flu pandemic. The second time was in May 2014, when polio seemed to surge again, threatening the eradication effort. The third time, in August 2014, came as the Ebola outbreak in West Africa was growing out of control. The fourth was related to Zika in 2016. And the fifth, in 2019, was another outbreak of Ebola that’s ongoing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. &nbsp;A key consideration in declaring a PHEIC is whether the disease threat is dire enough to risk countries enacting travel and trade restrictions.&nbsp;

As such declarations can be devastating to local economies and are often associated with economic losses. So what should be the approach of WHO - to consider economic losses or saving lives? In the present situation, it has been seen that the WHO did not support imposing travel restrictions/lockdown even when over a lakh people all across the globe had been affected. It even criticised the US for imposing travel restrictions to China. Had WHO put public health first, the spread could have been perhaps been restrained. &nbsp;

The world had prior experience with other forms of coronavirus in the form of SARS and MERS. In the absence of a vaccine, isolation was the logical plan of action to break the chain. Perhaps, WHO squandered its opportunity and as many say it, past its prime when the world depended on it to be agile. Surely this will not be the last virus outbreak to be transmitted from animal to human. It is time to recalibrate the significance and utility of the WHO in preventing new diseases. The World expects more from the WHO and it must adopt a preventive approach with the foresight to minimise loss of life. After all, it is better to be safe than sorry.&nbsp;

(The&nbsp;article is co-authored by Tanvi Saran Srivastava. She is Law Officer in MSTC Ltd, CPSU.)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) 
&nbsp;

Last November we planned a vacation to Europe for the following March. By the end of December, we were reading about a new viral disease spreading in China. Like any other, we began looking out for updates posted by the World Health Organisation on the virus; and up to the very end of February 2020, we thought we were safe in visiting places outside of China.

Last November we planned a vacation to Europe for the following March. By the end of December, we were reading about a new viral disease spreading in China. Like any other, we began looking out for updates posted by the World Health Organisation on the virus; and up to the very end of February 2020, we thought we were safe in visiting places outside of China. But less than 24 hours before our flight, we took a call and cancelled our trip. By then it was no more a “Chinese” virus, as US President Donald Trump had elucidated once, but was slowly and surely entrapping most of the globe. We had almost been blindsided by the dallying of the most reputed health organisation globally into believing that the virus is not a breaking force outside China. The WHO has been called out for its belated response to the upheaval which has, in turn, hampered relief efforts globally. But is the name-calling mere politicisation or bears substance? As an international specialised body of the UN, the basic responsibility of WHO is for international public health. However, the WHO has been lately disparaged for its dealing with the prevalent pandemic by erring on the side of China. To say the least, the WHO has come out as an exceedingly bureaucratic organisation, akin to other UN bodies and its fallacies have been exposed further by the current handling. On December 31, 2019, the country office of WHO in China reported “pneumonia” like syndrome for an unidentified pathogen. By many estimates, this was very late in the day after the Chinese authorities had been suspected of trying to suppress the fact for a while. On January 20, 2020, China confirmed human to human transmission and on January 23, put Wuhan under quarantine. Concurrently WHO categorically stated then that this is only an emergency in China and has not yet become a global health emergency. WHO’s Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom, further added that there was no evidence of human to human transmission outside China. Since the first reporting, the organisation nearly took a month to declare COVID-19 a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, relenting only on January 30, 2020. As such it can be commented that when public health should be the basic concern, WHO was busy making politically correct statements. First, it wholeheartedly backed China’s response to the disease, no questions asked. Second, it recommended against stalling international trade or travel and even accosted the US for imposing travel restrictions on China. So while China was, on the one hand, locking down its whole province in order to curtail transmission; on the other hand, WHO was emphatically reiterating that there no need to impose a travel ban. Retrospectively, it may have been a better course for the WHO to focus itself in espousing a travel ban for China entirely rather than concentrating on showering praises at the Chinese authorities for being transparent. The World Health Organisation is not a political organisation and has no business defending governance in any country. Questions are also being raised on China stifling early warning signals. However, more importantly, it is time to fix accountability of the WHO which has been caught defending stigma against China rather than providing accurate information about the virus. Shockingly, after over 1,18,000 cases in 114 countries which were responsible for 4291 deaths, WHO declared it a pandemic only on March 11, 2020. And finally, on March 13, WHO recommended avoiding unnecessary travel. A step called out globally as perhaps being too little, too late. The magnitude of the situation can be judged by the fact that, like us, many others would have avoided non-essential travel by simply adhering to the WHO’s directive. However, with the belated response, it is seen that many people are presently stranded globally due to the sudden restrictions imposed on travel. The WHO’s Director-General’s credentials have also been brought to light in the discourse. A signed petition is circulating globally asking him to step down for his shoddy handling of the situation. Previously, even his candidature for WHO was challenged as he was accused of supporting a repressive government in Ethiopia, his home country. Even on the ebola crisis in Africa, it is widely perceived that action was taken by WHO was tardy and they did not get their act together in time. It is not the first time that the world is facing a problem of such mammoth proportion. There was the 430 BC Plague, the Black Death of 1346-1353, and the Spanish Flu of the last century, among others which resulted in large scale loss of human life. Though making leaps and bounds in health and science, we are still vulnerable to new forms of diseases. Accordingly the role of WHO is paramount in early detection and prevention of these new diseases. One such form of prevention is declaring a public health emergency of international concern. It is an efficient system that WHO uses to sound the alarm on a serious disease that may have caught the world off guard and put lives in danger. It draws immediate attention to galvanise resources and stop the disease from spreading any further or across borders. In fact, the WHO has only declared a public health emergency five times since the International Health Regulations, which govern global health emergency responses, were enacted in 2007. The first time was in 2009, with the outbreak of the H1N1 swine flu pandemic. The second time was in May 2014, when polio seemed to surge again, threatening the eradication effort. The third time, in August 2014, came as the Ebola outbreak in West Africa was growing out of control. The fourth was related to Zika in 2016. And the fifth, in 2019, was another outbreak of Ebola that’s ongoing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A key consideration in declaring a PHEIC is whether the disease threat is dire enough to risk countries enacting travel and trade restrictions. As such declarations can be devastating to local economies and are often associated with economic losses. So what should be the approach of WHO - to consider economic losses or saving lives? In the present situation, it has been seen that the WHO did not support imposing travel restrictions/lockdown even when over a lakh people all across the globe had been affected. It even criticised the US for imposing travel restrictions to China. Had WHO put public health first, the spread could have been perhaps been restrained. The world had prior experience with other forms of coronavirus in the form of SARS and MERS. In the absence of a vaccine, isolation was the logical plan of action to break the chain. Perhaps, WHO squandered its opportunity and as many say it, past its prime when the world depended on it to be agile. Surely this will not be the last virus outbreak to be transmitted from animal to human. It is time to recalibrate the significance and utility of the WHO in preventing new diseases. The World expects more from the WHO and it must adopt a preventive approach with the foresight to minimise loss of life. After all, it is better to be safe than sorry. (The article is co-authored by Tanvi Saran Srivastava. She is Law Officer in MSTC Ltd, CPSU.) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Mishandling of coronavirus pandemic by WHO has cost the world dearly

US President Donald Trump's decision to stop all funding to the World Health Organization amid pandemic has not gone down well with several celebrities. 
 
The United States is the WHO's largest donor, and the State Department had previously planned to provide the organization $893 million in the current two-year funding period. According to Trump, the money saved will go to areas that "most need it". 
 
Several stars have slammed Trump's move pointing out that defunding at a time when there is a global pandemic, is "sick".

“Trump doesn’t like the World Health Organization for telling him to stop politicizing this virus, so he’s threatening to defund them! How sick,” wrote Barbra Streisand just before the announcement was made.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Trump doesn’t like the World Health Organization for telling him to stop politicizing this virus, so he’s threatening to defund them! 
How sick. <a href="https://t.co/R9R5iZ6bur">https://t.co/R9R5iZ6bur</a>
— Barbra Streisand (@BarbraStreisand) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarbraStreisand/status/1249444709984014337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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"Did the president just say he would withhold aid?" Jamie Lee Curtis tweeted.

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Did the president just say he would withhold aid?
— Jamie Lee Curtis (@jamieleecurtis) <a href="https://twitter.com/jamieleecurtis/status/1250180963574808576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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"WHO warns Trump of impending Pandemic. Trump mocks virus as hoax. Virus washes onto our shores. WHO offers tests. Trump tells them says no. Many Americans still can’t get tested. WHO works to help find treaments &amp; vaccine with global support. Trumps cuts funding to WHO," wrote Josh Gad.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
WHO warns Trump of impending Pandemic. Trump mocks virus as hoax. Virus washes onto our shores. WHO offers tests. Trump tells them says no. Many Americans still can’t get tested. WHO works to help find treaments &amp; vaccine with global support. Trumps cuts funding to WHO. <a href="https://t.co/Zu0szpvsUg">https://t.co/Zu0szpvsUg</a>
— Josh Gad (@joshgad) <a href="https://twitter.com/joshgad/status/1250199347775471617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2020</a></blockquote>
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"2000+ are dying everyday and our President ends funding to the World Health Organization during a worldwide pandemic," wrote actor Wendell Pierce.

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2000+ are dying everyday and our President ends funding to the World Health Organization during a worldwide pandemic.
— Wendell Pierce (@WendellPierce) <a href="https://twitter.com/WendellPierce/status/1250189937447784448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2020</a></blockquote>
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"Halting funding for the World Health Organization during a world health crisis is as dangerous as it sounds. Their work is slowing the spread of COVID-19 and if that work is stopped no other organization can replace them. The world needs @WHO now more than ever," Bill Gates wrote.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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Halting funding for the World Health Organization during a world health crisis is as dangerous as it sounds. Their work is slowing the spread of COVID-19 and if that work is stopped no other organization can replace them. The world needs <a href="https://twitter.com/WHO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WHO</a> now more than ever.
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) <a href="https://twitter.com/BillGates/status/1250292126643941376?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
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"So, to clarify—Donald Trump takes no responsibility for all the states in the country he was elected to represent, yet the World Health Org is to blame. So, don’t look to your president. Blame a global organization that is crucial to preventing the spread of covid-19," Chelsea Handler added.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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So, to clarify—Donald Trump takes no responsibility for all the states in the country he was elected to represent, yet the World Health Org is to blame. So, don’t look to your president. Blame a global organization that is crucial to preventing the spread of covid-19.
— Chelsea Handler (@chelseahandler) <a href="https://twitter.com/chelseahandler/status/1250416146588659712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The novel coronavirus has infected more than 1,996,681 people across 185 countries and territories, resulting in over 127,590 deaths. US is said to be the most effected with over&nbsp; 6 lakh cases and at least 26,059 deaths.

US President Donald Trump's decision to stop all funding to the World Health Organization amid pandemic has not gone down well with several celebrities. The United States is the WHO's largest donor, and the State Department had previously planned to provide the organization $893 million in the current two-year funding period.

US President Donald Trump's decision to stop all funding to the World Health Organization amid pandemic has not gone down well with several celebrities. The United States is the WHO's largest donor, and the State Department had previously planned to provide the organization $893 million in the current two-year funding period. According to Trump, the money saved will go to areas that "most need it". Several stars have slammed Trump's move pointing out that defunding at a time when there is a global pandemic, is "sick". “Trump doesn’t like the World Health Organization for telling him to stop politicizing this virus, so he’s threatening to defund them! How sick,” wrote Barbra Streisand just before the announcement was made. Trump doesn’t like the World Health Organization for telling him to stop politicizing this virus, so he’s threatening to defund them! How sick. https://t.co/R9R5iZ6bur — Barbra Streisand (@BarbraStreisand) April 12, 2020 × "Did the president just say he would withhold aid?" Jamie Lee Curtis tweeted. Did the president just say he would withhold aid? — Jamie Lee Curtis (@jamieleecurtis) April 14, 2020 × "WHO warns Trump of impending Pandemic. Trump mocks virus as hoax. Virus washes onto our shores. WHO offers tests. Trump tells them says no. Many Americans still can’t get tested. WHO works to help find treaments & vaccine with global support. Trumps cuts funding to WHO," wrote Josh Gad. WHO warns Trump of impending Pandemic. Trump mocks virus as hoax. Virus washes onto our shores. WHO offers tests. Trump tells them says no. Many Americans still can’t get tested. WHO works to help find treaments & vaccine with global support. Trumps cuts funding to WHO. https://t.co/Zu0szpvsUg — Josh Gad (@joshgad) April 14, 2020 × "2000+ are dying everyday and our President ends funding to the World Health Organization during a worldwide pandemic," wrote actor Wendell Pierce. 2000+ are dying everyday and our President ends funding to the World Health Organization during a worldwide pandemic. — Wendell Pierce (@WendellPierce) April 14, 2020 × "Halting funding for the World Health Organization during a world health crisis is as dangerous as it sounds. Their work is slowing the spread of COVID-19 and if that work is stopped no other organization can replace them. The world needs @WHO now more than ever," Bill Gates wrote. Halting funding for the World Health Organization during a world health crisis is as dangerous as it sounds. Their work is slowing the spread of COVID-19 and if that work is stopped no other organization can replace them. The world needs @WHO now more than ever. — Bill Gates (@BillGates) April 15, 2020 × "So, to clarify—Donald Trump takes no responsibility for all the states in the country he was elected to represent, yet the World Health Org is to blame. So, don’t look to your president. Blame a global organization that is crucial to preventing the spread of covid-19," Chelsea Handler added. So, to clarify—Donald Trump takes no responsibility for all the states in the country he was elected to represent, yet the World Health Org is to blame. So, don’t look to your president. Blame a global organization that is crucial to preventing the spread of covid-19. — Chelsea Handler (@chelseahandler) April 15, 2020 × The novel coronavirus has infected more than 1,996,681 people across 185 countries and territories, resulting in over 127,590 deaths. US is said to be the most effected with over 6 lakh cases and at least 26,059 deaths.

'How sick!': Barbra Streisand, Bill Gates and other celebrities slam Trump for halting WHO funding

The list of critics is growing, it is not just the American president who is demanding answers, a group of US Lawmakers is raising questions too. They have written to the WHO director-general.

The list of critics is growing, it is not just the American president who is demanding answers, a group of US Lawmakers is raising questions too. They have written to the WHO director-general. Earlier today, WION accessed a copy of the letter addressed to Dr Tedros. It is signed by seven American lawmakers, this letter could be the prelude to an investigation. An investigation into the world health organisation led by American lawmakers. The letter makes for interesting reading. It minces no words. The lawmakers say that they anticipate a congressional hearing. "American taxpayers fund the WHO And it is up to us to make sure those taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely," the letter said. These American lawmakers want to fix accountability. All lawmakers should and this is a good start. Their message is clear: "We paid your bills, now you tell us how you spent our money." The letter carries six direct questions for Dr Tedros: First, what are the WHO's protocols? What steps are taken in the event of a pandemic? Second, what has the WHO Has done so far? Third, when did the WHO first hear about the cases in China? Fourth, when did the WHO team visit china for an investigation? Fifth, who was in charge of the WHO's coronavirus response and who was the point person engaging with the communist party of china? And the sixth question, do any members of the WHO receive financial compensation outside of their WHO salaries? The WHO is yet to respond, given how slow they've been, don't hold your breath for the answers.

Now, US lawmakers raise questions on WHO's efforts to curb COVID-19

The World Health Organization, they say, is the 'keeper' of the global knowledge on public health.

Present in 147 countries, it has existed for seven long decades with the sole purpose of 'foreseeing' &nbsp;and 'eradicating' global health calamities.

The WHO's successes have been monumental so have been its failures. The coronavirus is among the biggest. It may very well be the last. First, it downplayed the threat and then, it tried to cover-up. Eventually, it delayed the global response. Now, instead of admitting mistakes, it is preaching the world on how not to politicise a pandemic.

But why did the w.H.O downplay human-to-human transmission?

The coronavirus isn't new. The transmission to humans is. That is the whole problem. On January 14, WHO&nbsp;said that 'preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel coronavirus'. They bought china's word for it. When in fact just 10 days back, 41 patients had been admitted to a hospital in Wuhan and 14 of them had no direct exposure to the Huanan sea-food market.

If this isn't human to human transmission, what is?

Chinese scientists at the epicentre of the outbreak themselves confirmed this. Meanwhile, on January 13, Thailand reported its first imported case of the coronavirus. This has been documented on the WHO website. Taiwan repeatedly warned them of such transmission. Yet the WHO remained in denial.

Why did the WHO&nbsp;refuse to brand the outbreak a pandemic?

By 15th January -- the coronavirus was breaching borders. There was a trickle of cases in some countries and WHO did not declare a global health emergency.&nbsp;But, another month and a half went by, the trickle of cases turned into a flood. By the end of February -- there were cases on almost every continent but the WHO did not call it a 'pandemic' --- it said the term 'won't be appropriate yet.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was only on March 11, after 57 days, when its director-general declared it appropriate.

4,000 people died in those 57 days and 1,80,000 have been infected.&nbsp;Declaration of a pandemic is so important as it makes governments and health systems prepare for community transmission.

Why did the WHO change the name of the Wuhan virus?

On February 11, there were coronavirus cases as far as the UK and the United States and the WHO still hadn't declared a pandemic.&nbsp;

Also, the virus was not named Wuhan virus but COVID-19 as they did not want to say anything that links this virus to China..&nbsp;

In its attempts to not upset china, WHO&nbsp;has failed to live up to its core mission -- protecting human lives. It is time to demand accountability.

The World Health Organization, they say, is the 'keeper' of the global knowledge on public health. Present in 147 countries, it has existed for seven long decades with the sole purpose of 'foreseeing' and 'eradicating' global health calamities.

The World Health Organization, they say, is the 'keeper' of the global knowledge on public health. Present in 147 countries, it has existed for seven long decades with the sole purpose of 'foreseeing' and 'eradicating' global health calamities. The WHO's successes have been monumental so have been its failures. The coronavirus is among the biggest. It may very well be the last. First, it downplayed the threat and then, it tried to cover-up. Eventually, it delayed the global response. Now, instead of admitting mistakes, it is preaching the world on how not to politicise a pandemic. But why did the w.H.O downplay human-to-human transmission? The coronavirus isn't new. The transmission to humans is. That is the whole problem. On January 14, WHO said that 'preliminary investigations conducted by the Chinese authorities have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission of the novel coronavirus'. They bought china's word for it. When in fact just 10 days back, 41 patients had been admitted to a hospital in Wuhan and 14 of them had no direct exposure to the Huanan sea-food market. If this isn't human to human transmission, what is? Chinese scientists at the epicentre of the outbreak themselves confirmed this. Meanwhile, on January 13, Thailand reported its first imported case of the coronavirus. This has been documented on the WHO website. Taiwan repeatedly warned them of such transmission. Yet the WHO remained in denial. Why did the WHO refuse to brand the outbreak a pandemic? By 15th January -- the coronavirus was breaching borders. There was a trickle of cases in some countries and WHO did not declare a global health emergency. But, another month and a half went by, the trickle of cases turned into a flood. By the end of February -- there were cases on almost every continent but the WHO did not call it a 'pandemic' --- it said the term 'won't be appropriate yet. It was only on March 11, after 57 days, when its director-general declared it appropriate. 4,000 people died in those 57 days and 1,80,000 have been infected. Declaration of a pandemic is so important as it makes governments and health systems prepare for community transmission. Why did the WHO change the name of the Wuhan virus? On February 11, there were coronavirus cases as far as the UK and the United States and the WHO still hadn't declared a pandemic. Also, the virus was not named Wuhan virus but COVID-19 as they did not want to say anything that links this virus to China.. In its attempts to not upset china, WHO has failed to live up to its core mission -- protecting human lives. It is time to demand accountability.

WHO downplaying coronavirus led to increase in number of cases

US President Donald Trump said that WHO has failed to prepare the world for this Pandemic. Trump blamed the WHO for being too China-centric. Watch report.

Donald Trump's China-centric attack on WHO | Coronavirus Pandemic

It is "not the time to reduce the resources for the operations of the World Health Organization or any other humanitarian organization in the fight against the virus," United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday.&nbsp;

"It is my belief that the World Health Organization must be supported, as it is absolutely critical to the world's efforts to win the war against COVID-19," he said, after US President Donald Trump announced earlier that his country would cut off funding to the UN health body for mishandling the coronavirus pandemic.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-announces-funding-halt-to-world-health-organisation-292533" hreflang="en">Trump announces funding halt to World Health Organisation</a>

Trump told a press conference he was instructing his administration to halt funding while "a review is conducted to assess the World Health Organization's role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/in-us-new-york-city-alone-accounts-for-over-10000-coronavirus-deaths-292535" hreflang="en">In US, New York City alone accounts for over 10,000 coronavirus deaths</a>

According to Trump, the WHO prevented transparency over the outbreak and the United States -- the UN body's biggest funder which provided $400 million last year -- will now "discuss what we do with all that money that goes to the WHO."

"With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have deep concerns whether America's generosity has been put to the best use possible."

The United States recorded 2,228 deaths related to the coronavirus pandemic over the past 24 hours, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

It is "not the time to reduce the resources for the operations of the World Health Organization or any other humanitarian organization in the fight against the virus," United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday.

It is "not the time to reduce the resources for the operations of the World Health Organization or any other humanitarian organization in the fight against the virus," United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday. "It is my belief that the World Health Organization must be supported, as it is absolutely critical to the world's efforts to win the war against COVID-19," he said, after US President Donald Trump announced earlier that his country would cut off funding to the UN health body for mishandling the coronavirus pandemic. Also read: Trump announces funding halt to World Health Organisation Trump told a press conference he was instructing his administration to halt funding while "a review is conducted to assess the World Health Organization's role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus." Also read: In US, New York City alone accounts for over 10,000 coronavirus deaths According to Trump, the WHO prevented transparency over the outbreak and the United States -- the UN body's biggest funder which provided $400 million last year -- will now "discuss what we do with all that money that goes to the WHO." "With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have deep concerns whether America's generosity has been put to the best use possible." The United States recorded 2,228 deaths related to the coronavirus pandemic over the past 24 hours, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

'Not the time to reduce the resources' of WHO: UN chief

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