Six times more booster shots of coronavirus vaccine are being administered around the world daily than primary doses in low-income countries, the director-general of the World Health Organization said Friday, calling the disparity “a scandal that must stop now.”

The official, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and others at WHO have regularly criticized wealthy nations for hoarding vaccines while lower-income countries do not have enough doses to vaccinate their elderly, front-line health care workers and other high-risk groups. In August, Tedros called for a global moratorium on boosters that he later extended until the end of the year.

However, nations including Germany, Israel, Canada and the United States have gone ahead with booster programs. The WHO said in an email that 92 countries had confirmed programs to provide added doses and that none of them were low-income.

About 28.5 million COVID vaccine doses are given daily around the world. According to the WHO, about a quarter of those are booster or additional doses. (Boosters are meant to bolster protection for those who were earlier fully vaccinated; additional doses are for immunocompromised people whose initial vaccinations failed to sufficiently protect them against the virus.)

WHO officials contrasted the at least 6.9 million added daily doses globally with 1.1 million primary doses being given in low-income countries.

Only 4.5% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to the Our World in Data project at the University of Oxford, a figure that is dwarfed by rates in wealthier countries.

The United States recently authorized booster shots for certain recipients of Pfizer-BioNTech’s and Moderna’s vaccines, and everyone who took Johnson &amp;amp; Johnson’s vaccine. This week, Colorado and California announced that they would allow booster shots for all vaccinated adults.

Experts in the United States have been divided over whether boosters are necessary for most healthy Americans, and many say that the original course of vaccination continues to offer strong protection against serious illness and hospitalization. Other experts argue that new data indicate that the boosters counteract waning protection.

Tedros also warned that access to vaccines was not enough to stop the virus, pointing to a surge of infections and deaths in Europe that has led the Netherlands to plan a partial lockdown, the first recent lockdown in the region affecting both vaccinated and unvaccinated people.

“COVID-19 is surging in countries with lower vaccination rates in Eastern Europe, but also in countries with some of the world’s highest vaccination rates in Western Europe,” Tedros said. “It’s another reminder, as we have said again and again, that vaccines do not replace the need for other precautions.”

Every country should tailor its response to its situation, he said, but should also use measures like physical distancing and masking to help curb transmission and reduce pressure on health systems.

Six times more booster shots of coronavirus vaccine are being administered around the world daily than primary doses in low-income countries, the director-general of the World Health Organization said Friday, calling the disparity “a scandal that must stop now.

Six times more booster shots of coronavirus vaccine are being administered around the world daily than primary doses in low-income countries, the director-general of the World Health Organization said Friday, calling the disparity “a scandal that must stop now.” The official, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and others at WHO have regularly criticized wealthy nations for hoarding vaccines while lower-income countries do not have enough doses to vaccinate their elderly, front-line health care workers and other high-risk groups. In August, Tedros called for a global moratorium on boosters that he later extended until the end of the year. However, nations including Germany, Israel, Canada and the United States have gone ahead with booster programs. The WHO said in an email that 92 countries had confirmed programs to provide added doses and that none of them were low-income. About 28.5 million COVID vaccine doses are given daily around the world. According to the WHO, about a quarter of those are booster or additional doses. (Boosters are meant to bolster protection for those who were earlier fully vaccinated; additional doses are for immunocompromised people whose initial vaccinations failed to sufficiently protect them against the virus.) WHO officials contrasted the at least 6.9 million added daily doses globally with 1.1 million primary doses being given in low-income countries. Only 4.5% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to the Our World in Data project at the University of Oxford, a figure that is dwarfed by rates in wealthier countries. The United States recently authorized booster shots for certain recipients of Pfizer-BioNTech’s and Moderna’s vaccines, and everyone who took Johnson &amp; Johnson’s vaccine. This week, Colorado and California announced that they would allow booster shots for all vaccinated adults. Experts in the United States have been divided over whether boosters are necessary for most healthy Americans, and many say that the original course of vaccination continues to offer strong protection against serious illness and hospitalization. Other experts argue that new data indicate that the boosters counteract waning protection. Tedros also warned that access to vaccines was not enough to stop the virus, pointing to a surge of infections and deaths in Europe that has led the Netherlands to plan a partial lockdown, the first recent lockdown in the region affecting both vaccinated and unvaccinated people. “COVID-19 is surging in countries with lower vaccination rates in Eastern Europe, but also in countries with some of the world’s highest vaccination rates in Western Europe,” Tedros said. “It’s another reminder, as we have said again and again, that vaccines do not replace the need for other precautions.” Every country should tailor its response to its situation, he said, but should also use measures like physical distancing and masking to help curb transmission and reduce pressure on health systems.

‘A scandal’: WHO says world’s rate of booster shots outstrips poorer countries’ vaccinations

In a bid to end vaccine inequity, South African scientists are trying to replicate Moderna vaccine by using reverse engineering techniques.

For this purpose, warehouses in Cape Town have been converted into a maze of airlocked sterile rooms.

After receiving support from the World Health Organization, researchers are assembling and calibrating the equipment needed to reverse engineer a coronavirus vaccine that has yet to reach South Africa and most of the world's poorest people.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/those-vaccinated-last-year-with-moderna-are-twice-likely-to-contract-covid-study-413571">Also read |&nbsp;Those vaccinated last year with Moderna are twice likely to contract Covid: Study</a>

The UN health agency is coordinating the vaccine research, training, and production hub in South Africa along with a related supply chain for critical raw materials.

According to Caryn Fenner, Afrigen Technical Director, "We've chosen the Moderna as the gold standard because it comes out of pre-clinical data where the various vaccines were compared head to head and that data is showing that Moderna is actually more favourable at this stage.''

&nbsp;''Also, the Moderna vaccine is cold storage which is less difficult at minus 20 degrees.''

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/moderna-racing-for-profits-keeps-covid-vaccine-out-of-reach-of-poor-419518">Also read |&nbsp;Moderna, racing for profits, keeps Covid vaccine out of reach of poor</a>

Several African nations do not have the ability to transport vaccines at the low temperatures needed to keep them usable and part of his work is to find ways to do that.

Stressing on the importance of innovation, Afrigen scientist Emile Hendricks said, ''We have to make sure that we innovate so that we can get this vaccine to as many of the African citizens as we can.''

Considered as one of the last ways to redress the power imbalances of the pandemic, reverse engineering refers to&nbsp;the recreation of&nbsp;vaccines from fragments of publicly available information.

Many countries, including the US, have pledged to provide vaccines to poorer nations but so far only a small percentage of those pledges have made it to their destinations.

However, as per an analysis by the People's Vaccine Alliance, only 0.7 per cent of vaccines have been given by wealthy nations to low-income countries so far.

In a bid to end vaccine inequity, South African scientists are trying to replicate Moderna vaccine by using reverse engineering techniques. For this purpose, warehouses in Cape Town have been converted into a maze of airlocked sterile rooms.

In a bid to end vaccine inequity, South African scientists are trying to replicate Moderna vaccine by using reverse engineering techniques. For this purpose, warehouses in Cape Town have been converted into a maze of airlocked sterile rooms. After receiving support from the World Health Organization, researchers are assembling and calibrating the equipment needed to reverse engineer a coronavirus vaccine that has yet to reach South Africa and most of the world's poorest people. Also read | Those vaccinated last year with Moderna are twice likely to contract Covid: Study The UN health agency is coordinating the vaccine research, training, and production hub in South Africa along with a related supply chain for critical raw materials. According to Caryn Fenner, Afrigen Technical Director, "We've chosen the Moderna as the gold standard because it comes out of pre-clinical data where the various vaccines were compared head to head and that data is showing that Moderna is actually more favourable at this stage.'' ''Also, the Moderna vaccine is cold storage which is less difficult at minus 20 degrees.'' Also read | Moderna, racing for profits, keeps Covid vaccine out of reach of poor Several African nations do not have the ability to transport vaccines at the low temperatures needed to keep them usable and part of his work is to find ways to do that. Stressing on the importance of innovation, Afrigen scientist Emile Hendricks said, ''We have to make sure that we innovate so that we can get this vaccine to as many of the African citizens as we can.'' Considered as one of the last ways to redress the power imbalances of the pandemic, reverse engineering refers to the recreation of vaccines from fragments of publicly available information. Many countries, including the US, have pledged to provide vaccines to poorer nations but so far only a small percentage of those pledges have made it to their destinations. However, as per an analysis by the People's Vaccine Alliance, only 0.7 per cent of vaccines have been given by wealthy nations to low-income countries so far.

South Africa: Scientists are using reverse engineering technique to replicate Moderna vaccine

In an effort to eradicate polio and boost health measures for children in Afghanistan, the Taliban government has agreed to restart a door-to-door vaccination program next month, and will allow women to be frontline workers in the drive, health officials announced Tuesday.

The announcement, by the World Health Organization and United Nations Children’s Fund, is a breakthrough in a country that has been called the “world’s polio capital,” a place where vaccinators have faced the twin challenges of a lack of access to patients and deadly violence.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/as-need-in-afghanistan-grows-dire-aid-groups-plead-for-help-417450">As need in Afghanistan grows dire, aid groups plead for help</a>

The five-day nationwide program to distribute the polio vaccine, which is given orally and in multiple doses, will begin Nov. 8, according to officials. The drive aims to reach about 10 million children, according to Dr Hamid Jafari, head of polio eradication for the WHO’s eastern Mediterranean region.

More than 3.3 million children had previously “remained inaccessible to vaccination campaigns,” according to the statement announcing the drive. Children who are 6 months to 59 months old will also be given vitamin A supplements during the campaign, officials said.

Word of the agreement comes as the Taliban have been showing some limited flexibility in dealings with the outside world as the government seeks desperately needed aid amid an ailing economy and increasing food scarcity.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/taliban-urge-us-eu-to-end-existing-sanctions-to-avoid-refugee-crisis-420503" hreflang="en">Taliban urge US, EU to 'end existing sanctions' to avoid refugee crisis</a>

“We welcome WHO’s effort to launch its polio vaccination campaign in Afghanistan and are ready to help and coordinate,” Bilal Karimi, a Taliban spokesman, said. “Women can also participate in this campaign and work closely with health workers to provide vaccinations to our people.”

In addition to this polio vaccination program, set to start in early November, “all parties have agreed on the need to immediately start measles and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">COVID-19 vaccination</a> campaigns,” the statement from the U.N. and WHO said. A second polio vaccination program in Afghanistan will be synchronized with one in neighboring Pakistan that is scheduled to begin in December, it said.

Half a dozen more vaccination programs are scheduled to begin next year, according to Jafari.

In announcing the vaccination program, health officials said the Taliban “expressed their commitment” to allow women to be frontline workers in the drive and “for providing security and assuring the safety of all health workers across the country.”

Also read |&nbsp;<a data-ctorig="https://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pics-beauty-salon-a-safe-haven-for-women-in-talibans-kabul-422222" data-cturl="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pics-beauty-salon-a-safe-haven-for-women-in-talibans-kabul-422222&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiNrdOC9tjzAhV1gtgFHVUKBP4QFnoECAkQAg&amp;usg=AOvVaw3Ht5fNFOukGXXpuajQtbbx" dir="ltr" href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pics-beauty-salon-a-safe-haven-for-women-in-talibans-kabul-422222" target="_blank">In pics | Beauty salon—a safe haven for women in&nbsp;Taliban's&nbsp;Kabul</a>

Jafari said that tens of thousands of women were expected to work in the vaccination effort, as vaccinators, supervisors and managers.

The announcement comes after several attacks on polio vaccinators this year, stifling efforts to inoculate children against the disease. In June, at least five members of two polio vaccination teams were killed in one day during separate attacks in Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan. In the same city, three women working for the government’s polio vaccine campaign were shot dead in late March.

“UNICEF is outraged by this attack,” the organization said at the time. “Frontline health workers should never be a target of violence.”

Around the same time of the shootings, there was an explosion at the city’s regional hospital, near the compound where the vaccines are stored, officials said.

While no group took responsibility for these attacks, the Islamic State Khorasan, also known as ISIS-K, was active in the east and had claimed responsibility for similar attacks on women and civil society leaders in the area.

Watch |&nbsp;Taliban reward suicide bombers' kin

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/taliban-reward-suicide-bombers-kin-422296/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August, two decades after the U.S.-led invasion of the country drove the group from power. The new government has committed to providing protection to health care workers.

Health officials welcomed the Taliban’s support for the program. In the past, the movement expressed skepticism of door-to-door vaccination drives, saying they believed some vaccinators acted as spies in certain parts of the country. Elsewhere, the Taliban allowed vaccinators to carry out their work in districts under their control.

“We’ve been working with them for decades,” Jafari said, noting that the Taliban had controlled large parts of the country during their exile from power. The Taliban “have always been supportive of polio vaccination and eradication,” he said.

Dr. Ahmed al-Mandhari, the WHO’s regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, said, “The urgency with which the Taliban leadership wants the polio campaign to proceed demonstrates a joint commitment to maintain the health system and restart essential immunizations to avert further outbreaks of preventable diseases.”

Restarting this vaccination program, said George Laryea-Adjei, UNICEF’s regional director for South Asia, is “a step closer toward achieving our shared hope of eradicating polio in the region.”

In an effort to eradicate polio and boost health measures for children in Afghanistan, the Taliban government has agreed to restart a door-to-door vaccination program next month, and will allow women to be frontline workers in the drive, health officials announced Tuesday.

In an effort to eradicate polio and boost health measures for children in Afghanistan, the Taliban government has agreed to restart a door-to-door vaccination program next month, and will allow women to be frontline workers in the drive, health officials announced Tuesday. The announcement, by the World Health Organization and United Nations Children’s Fund, is a breakthrough in a country that has been called the “world’s polio capital,” a place where vaccinators have faced the twin challenges of a lack of access to patients and deadly violence. Also read | As need in Afghanistan grows dire, aid groups plead for help The five-day nationwide program to distribute the polio vaccine, which is given orally and in multiple doses, will begin Nov. 8, according to officials. The drive aims to reach about 10 million children, according to Dr Hamid Jafari, head of polio eradication for the WHO’s eastern Mediterranean region. More than 3.3 million children had previously “remained inaccessible to vaccination campaigns,” according to the statement announcing the drive. Children who are 6 months to 59 months old will also be given vitamin A supplements during the campaign, officials said. Word of the agreement comes as the Taliban have been showing some limited flexibility in dealings with the outside world as the government seeks desperately needed aid amid an ailing economy and increasing food scarcity. Also read | Taliban urge US, EU to 'end existing sanctions' to avoid refugee crisis “We welcome WHO’s effort to launch its polio vaccination campaign in Afghanistan and are ready to help and coordinate,” Bilal Karimi, a Taliban spokesman, said. “Women can also participate in this campaign and work closely with health workers to provide vaccinations to our people.” In addition to this polio vaccination program, set to start in early November, “all parties have agreed on the need to immediately start measles and COVID-19 vaccination campaigns,” the statement from the U.N. and WHO said. A second polio vaccination program in Afghanistan will be synchronized with one in neighboring Pakistan that is scheduled to begin in December, it said. Half a dozen more vaccination programs are scheduled to begin next year, according to Jafari. In announcing the vaccination program, health officials said the Taliban “expressed their commitment” to allow women to be frontline workers in the drive and “for providing security and assuring the safety of all health workers across the country.” Also read | In pics | Beauty salon—a safe haven for women in Taliban's Kabul Jafari said that tens of thousands of women were expected to work in the vaccination effort, as vaccinators, supervisors and managers. The announcement comes after several attacks on polio vaccinators this year, stifling efforts to inoculate children against the disease. In June, at least five members of two polio vaccination teams were killed in one day during separate attacks in Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan. In the same city, three women working for the government’s polio vaccine campaign were shot dead in late March. “UNICEF is outraged by this attack,” the organization said at the time. “Frontline health workers should never be a target of violence.” Around the same time of the shootings, there was an explosion at the city’s regional hospital, near the compound where the vaccines are stored, officials said. While no group took responsibility for these attacks, the Islamic State Khorasan, also known as ISIS-K, was active in the east and had claimed responsibility for similar attacks on women and civil society leaders in the area. Watch | Taliban reward suicide bombers' kin The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August, two decades after the U.S.-led invasion of the country drove the group from power. The new government has committed to providing protection to health care workers. Health officials welcomed the Taliban’s support for the program. In the past, the movement expressed skepticism of door-to-door vaccination drives, saying they believed some vaccinators acted as spies in certain parts of the country. Elsewhere, the Taliban allowed vaccinators to carry out their work in districts under their control. “We’ve been working with them for decades,” Jafari said, noting that the Taliban had controlled large parts of the country during their exile from power. The Taliban “have always been supportive of polio vaccination and eradication,” he said. Dr. Ahmed al-Mandhari, the WHO’s regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, said, “The urgency with which the Taliban leadership wants the polio campaign to proceed demonstrates a joint commitment to maintain the health system and restart essential immunizations to avert further outbreaks of preventable diseases.” Restarting this vaccination program, said George Laryea-Adjei, UNICEF’s regional director for South Asia, is “a step closer toward achieving our shared hope of eradicating polio in the region.”

Taliban allow polio vaccine programme to restart in Afghanistan

The World Health Organization has said that it has witnesses a growth in the global tuberculosis deaths as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

As per the WHO report, 1.5 million people died from tuberculosis&nbsp;last year, including more than 200,000 people with HIV.

According to Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director, Global TB Programme, World Health Organization (WHO), “A crucial message is related to the access to essential services and again, due to COVID impact, we can see that these gaps are growing, and 4.1 million people didn't receive access to timely diagnosis and life-saving treatment.”

“Less than 50 percent of the funding needed to provide services are available, and for TB research and innovation, we have less than one billion available, all this is becoming critical. And we see that the world is not on track to reach our high-level meeting on tuberculosis targets for 2022. And we have just one year left to the next UN General Assembly high-level meeting in 2023,” Kasaeva added.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/covid-boosters-necessary-to-stop-the-spread-study-420708">Also read |&nbsp;Covid boosters necessary to stop the spread: Study</a>

The report stated that only one in each three people with drug-resistant tuberculosis received the treatment for it.

In the case of comparison with the previous year, there has been a drop of 21 percent in the provision of TB preventive treatment.

The pandemic has caused several disruptions in the healthcare facilities available leading to a setback to the progress.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/who-says-it-is-last-chance-to-find-origin-of-covid-19-420559">Also read |&nbsp;WHO says it is 'last chance' to find origin of COVID-19</a>

"This is alarming news that must serve as a global wake-up call to the urgent need for investments and innovation to close the gaps in diagnosis, treatment and care for the millions of people affected by this ancient but preventable and treatable disease," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.&nbsp;

Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that most often affect the lungs.&nbsp;Like Covid, it is transmitted by air by infected people, for example by coughing.

Most TB cases occur in just 30 countries, many of them in poorer nations in Africa and Asia, and more than half of all new cases are in adult men. Women account for 33 percent of cases and children 11 percent.&nbsp;

The WHO's aim is to reduce deaths from TB by 90 per cent, and the incidence rate by 80 percent by 2030 compared to 2015, but the latest figures threaten to jeopardise the strategy, it said.&nbsp;

And its modelling suggest the number of people developing the disease and dying from it could be "much higher in 2021 and 2022".

The report said that the number of people newly diagnosed and cases reported to national authorities fell from 7.1 million in 2019 to 5.8 million in 2020.&nbsp;

India, Indonesia, the Philippines and China were the main countries that saw a drop in reported cases.&nbsp;

The World Health Organization has said that it has witnesses a growth in the global tuberculosis deaths as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. As per the WHO report, 1.

The World Health Organization has said that it has witnesses a growth in the global tuberculosis deaths as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. As per the WHO report, 1.5 million people died from tuberculosis last year, including more than 200,000 people with HIV. According to Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director, Global TB Programme, World Health Organization (WHO), “A crucial message is related to the access to essential services and again, due to COVID impact, we can see that these gaps are growing, and 4.1 million people didn't receive access to timely diagnosis and life-saving treatment.” “Less than 50 percent of the funding needed to provide services are available, and for TB research and innovation, we have less than one billion available, all this is becoming critical. And we see that the world is not on track to reach our high-level meeting on tuberculosis targets for 2022. And we have just one year left to the next UN General Assembly high-level meeting in 2023,” Kasaeva added. Also read | Covid boosters necessary to stop the spread: Study The report stated that only one in each three people with drug-resistant tuberculosis received the treatment for it. In the case of comparison with the previous year, there has been a drop of 21 percent in the provision of TB preventive treatment. The pandemic has caused several disruptions in the healthcare facilities available leading to a setback to the progress. Also read | WHO says it is 'last chance' to find origin of COVID-19 "This is alarming news that must serve as a global wake-up call to the urgent need for investments and innovation to close the gaps in diagnosis, treatment and care for the millions of people affected by this ancient but preventable and treatable disease," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement. Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that most often affect the lungs. Like Covid, it is transmitted by air by infected people, for example by coughing. Most TB cases occur in just 30 countries, many of them in poorer nations in Africa and Asia, and more than half of all new cases are in adult men. Women account for 33 percent of cases and children 11 percent. The WHO's aim is to reduce deaths from TB by 90 per cent, and the incidence rate by 80 percent by 2030 compared to 2015, but the latest figures threaten to jeopardise the strategy, it said. And its modelling suggest the number of people developing the disease and dying from it could be "much higher in 2021 and 2022". The report said that the number of people newly diagnosed and cases reported to national authorities fell from 7.1 million in 2019 to 5.8 million in 2020. India, Indonesia, the Philippines and China were the main countries that saw a drop in reported cases.

WHO says global tuberculosis deaths rise due to coronavirus pandemic

The World Health Organization (WHO) has selected its panel to investigate the origin of COVID-19, saying it is the 'last chance' to do so.&nbsp;

The 26 members of this panel include several individuals of the Wuhan probe who went to China in February for investigating the source of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. They are Chinese animal health expert Yang Yungui, Marion Koomans, Thea Fischer, and Hung Nguyen.

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WHO's top emergency expert Mike Ryan said the UN health agency is seeking to "take a step back, create an environment where we can again look at the scientific issues."

"This is our best chance, and it may be our last chance to understand the origins of this virus."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions-blogs/unless-true-origin-of-coronavirus-is-identified-another-chinese-pandemic-is-in-the-offing-320236">Also read |&nbsp;Unless true origin of coronavirus is identified, another Chinese pandemic is in the offing</a>

In response, China's ambassador to the UN in Geneva Chen Xu said "I do believe that if we are going to continue with the scientific research I think it should be a joint effort based on science, not by the intelligence agencies."

"So if we are going to talk about anything, we are doing the whole business with the framework of Scientific Advisory Group on the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO)."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/wuhan-lab-staff-sought-hospital-care-before-covid-19-outbreak-disclosed-wsj-387022">Also read |&nbsp;Wuhan lab staff sought hospital care before COVID-19 outbreak disclosed: WSJ</a>

Earlier, China had refused WHO's request to inspect animal breeding farms and bat caves in Enshi a few miles away from Wuhan.

WHO's director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that "The emergence of new viruses with the potential to spark epidemics and pandemics is a fact of nature, and while SARS-CoV-2 is the latest such virus, it will not be the last.''

"Understanding where new pathogens come from is essential for preventing future outbreaks."

He had previously accused China of hampering the research of the origin of COVID-19 by lack of transparency and raw data and stresses on lab audits.

Former US President Donald Trump had accused China of developing and leaking the novel virus from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

China was the world's first epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak. The first case of COVID-19 had emerged from Wuhan in December 2019.

 
&nbsp;

The World Health Organization (WHO) has selected its panel to investigate the origin of COVID-19, saying it is the 'last chance' to do so. The 26 members of this panel include several individuals of the Wuhan probe who went to China in February for investigating the source of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has selected its panel to investigate the origin of COVID-19, saying it is the 'last chance' to do so. The 26 members of this panel include several individuals of the Wuhan probe who went to China in February for investigating the source of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. They are Chinese animal health expert Yang Yungui, Marion Koomans, Thea Fischer, and Hung Nguyen. WHO's top emergency expert Mike Ryan said the UN health agency is seeking to "take a step back, create an environment where we can again look at the scientific issues." "This is our best chance, and it may be our last chance to understand the origins of this virus." Also read | Unless true origin of coronavirus is identified, another Chinese pandemic is in the offing In response, China's ambassador to the UN in Geneva Chen Xu said "I do believe that if we are going to continue with the scientific research I think it should be a joint effort based on science, not by the intelligence agencies." "So if we are going to talk about anything, we are doing the whole business with the framework of Scientific Advisory Group on the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO)." Also read | Wuhan lab staff sought hospital care before COVID-19 outbreak disclosed: WSJ Earlier, China had refused WHO's request to inspect animal breeding farms and bat caves in Enshi a few miles away from Wuhan. WHO's director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that "The emergence of new viruses with the potential to spark epidemics and pandemics is a fact of nature, and while SARS-CoV-2 is the latest such virus, it will not be the last.'' "Understanding where new pathogens come from is essential for preventing future outbreaks." He had previously accused China of hampering the research of the origin of COVID-19 by lack of transparency and raw data and stresses on lab audits. Former US President Donald Trump had accused China of developing and leaking the novel virus from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. China was the world's first epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak. The first case of COVID-19 had emerged from Wuhan in December 2019.

WHO says it is 'last chance' to find origin of COVID-19

Russia has warned of an increase in West Nile virus (WNV) infections, which are primarily transmitted from birds to humans by mosquitoes and can result in a fatal neurological disease.

Most people infected with WNV do not feel ill, and only about one in every five develops fever and other symptoms. There are no vaccines or medications available to prevent or treat WNV in humans.&nbsp;

"In light of favourable climatic conditions this year - an abundance of precipitation... a warm and long autumn, a high number of (virus) carriers could be observed in the autumn," Rospotrebnadzor, Russia’s consumer health watchdog, said.

More than 80% of West Nile fever cases in Russia are reported in the country's southwest.&nbsp;

What exactly is the West Nile Virus (WNV)?

According to the World Health Organization, the West Nile Virus (WNV) is a flavivirus genus that belongs to the Japanese encephalitis antigenic complex of the Flaviviridae family.

It's a contagious disease spread by infected mosquitos. It is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

It is most commonly transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. NV cases occur during the mosquito season, which begins in the summer and lasts until the fall.&nbsp;

What are the signs and symptoms?

WNV infection is either asymptomatic (no symptoms) in approximately 80% of infected people, or it can cause West Nile fever or severe West Nile disease.

High fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness, and paralysis are all symptoms of severe illness.

People of any age can develop severe illness. However, people over 60 are at a higher risk of developing severe illness if infected (1 in 50 people).

People with certain medical conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, and organ transplant recipients, are also at a higher risk.

Recovery from a severe illness could take weeks or months. Some effects on the central nervous system may be long-term.

One out of every ten people who suffer from a severe illness affecting the central nervous system dies.

How should WNV be treated?

There is currently no human vaccine available. To reduce fever and relieve some symptoms, over-the-counter pain relievers can be used.

However, treatment for patients with the neuro-invasive West Nile virus frequently entails hospitalisation, intravenous fluids, respiratory support, and secondary infection prevention.&nbsp; 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

Russia has warned of an increase in West Nile virus (WNV) infections, which are primarily transmitted from birds to humans by mosquitoes and can result in a fatal neurological disease.

Russia has warned of an increase in West Nile virus (WNV) infections, which are primarily transmitted from birds to humans by mosquitoes and can result in a fatal neurological disease. Most people infected with WNV do not feel ill, and only about one in every five develops fever and other symptoms. There are no vaccines or medications available to prevent or treat WNV in humans. "In light of favourable climatic conditions this year - an abundance of precipitation... a warm and long autumn, a high number of (virus) carriers could be observed in the autumn," Rospotrebnadzor, Russia’s consumer health watchdog, said. More than 80% of West Nile fever cases in Russia are reported in the country's southwest. What exactly is the West Nile Virus (WNV)? According to the World Health Organization, the West Nile Virus (WNV) is a flavivirus genus that belongs to the Japanese encephalitis antigenic complex of the Flaviviridae family. It's a contagious disease spread by infected mosquitos. It is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is most commonly transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. NV cases occur during the mosquito season, which begins in the summer and lasts until the fall. What are the signs and symptoms? WNV infection is either asymptomatic (no symptoms) in approximately 80% of infected people, or it can cause West Nile fever or severe West Nile disease. High fever, headache, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss, numbness, and paralysis are all symptoms of severe illness. People of any age can develop severe illness. However, people over 60 are at a higher risk of developing severe illness if infected (1 in 50 people). People with certain medical conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, and organ transplant recipients, are also at a higher risk. Recovery from a severe illness could take weeks or months. Some effects on the central nervous system may be long-term. One out of every ten people who suffer from a severe illness affecting the central nervous system dies. How should WNV be treated? There is currently no human vaccine available. To reduce fever and relieve some symptoms, over-the-counter pain relievers can be used. However, treatment for patients with the neuro-invasive West Nile virus frequently entails hospitalisation, intravenous fluids, respiratory support, and secondary infection prevention. (With inputs from agencies)

What is the West Nile virus, the infection Russia has warned may spread?

China has accused the United States of&nbsp;'politicisation' and 'scapegoating' over its&nbsp;efforts to trace the origin of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">coronavirus</a>.

After&nbsp;the release of a intelligence report on the COVID-19, China demanded,&nbsp;without any evidence, that American labs be investigated.

A classified US intelligence report that was submitted to the White House recently couldn’t conclusively trace the origins of the COVID-19 virus due to lack of information provided by China.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/classified-us-intelligence-study-inconclusive-on-covid-origins-report-408372" hreflang="en">Classified US intelligence study inconclusive on COVID origins: Report</a>

The assessment report, which was ordered by President Joe Biden three months ago, couldn’t prove whether the virus that first emerged in central China had jumped to humans via animals or escaped a highly secure research facility in Wuhan.

The US report was intended to resolve disputes among intelligence agencies considering different theories about how the coronavirus emerged, including a once-dismissed theory about a Chinese laboratory accident.

"Scapegoating&nbsp;China&nbsp;cannot whitewash the US," Fu Cong, director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' arms control department, told a briefing.

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China&nbsp;has said a laboratory leak was highly unlikely, and it has ridiculed a theory that coronavirus escaped from a lab in Wuhan, the city where COVID-19 infections emerged in late 2019, setting off the pandemic.

Beijing has instead suggested&nbsp;that the virus slipped out of a lab at the US&nbsp;Army's Fort Detrick base in Maryland in 2019.

"It is only fair that if the US&nbsp;insists that this is a valid hypothesis, they should do their turn and invite the investigation into their labs," Fu said.

Fu said&nbsp;China&nbsp;was not engaged in a disinformation campaign.

The fringe idea once put forward by individual Chinese officials,&nbsp;which lacks any public evidence, has become a Chinese government talking point as it attempts to deflect criticism about its possible role in the origins of the virus.

On Wednesday, the Chinese embassy in Washington posted the calls for World Health Organization investigations at Fort Detrick and at the University of North Carolina to its website after it said US&nbsp;media had rejected its editorial submissions.

And on Tuesday,&nbsp;China's envoy to the United Nations asked the head of the WHO for an investigation into US&nbsp;labs.

A joint WHO-Chinese team visited the Wuhan Institute of Virology but the United States said it had concerns about the access granted to the investigation.

"The early days of the pandemic were irrefutably in&nbsp;China, yet&nbsp;China&nbsp;continues to obfuscate and deny the international community the needed access," a senior US&nbsp;administration official said, adding that if a future pandemic were to originate in the United States, it would insist on a "swift and transparent" evaluation.

"If there were sound, technically credible reasons for a US&nbsp;investigation, we would of course support it. But there are none," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio, who has argued a Chinese lab leak was plausible, in a statement urged the Biden administration to immediately declassify the report.

"The American people deserve to know what our government does and does not know about the origins of COVID-19," Rubio said.

A key Congressional panel has been advised it may receive a copy of the classified report on Thursday, according to a Congressional official.

(With inputs from agencies)

China has accused the United States of 'politicisation' and 'scapegoating' over its efforts to trace the origin of the coronavirus. After the release of a intelligence report on the COVID-19, China demanded, without any evidence, that American labs be investigated.

China has accused the United States of 'politicisation' and 'scapegoating' over its efforts to trace the origin of the coronavirus. After the release of a intelligence report on the COVID-19, China demanded, without any evidence, that American labs be investigated. A classified US intelligence report that was submitted to the White House recently couldn’t conclusively trace the origins of the COVID-19 virus due to lack of information provided by China. Also read| Classified US intelligence study inconclusive on COVID origins: Report The assessment report, which was ordered by President Joe Biden three months ago, couldn’t prove whether the virus that first emerged in central China had jumped to humans via animals or escaped a highly secure research facility in Wuhan. The US report was intended to resolve disputes among intelligence agencies considering different theories about how the coronavirus emerged, including a once-dismissed theory about a Chinese laboratory accident. "Scapegoating China cannot whitewash the US," Fu Cong, director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' arms control department, told a briefing. China has said a laboratory leak was highly unlikely, and it has ridiculed a theory that coronavirus escaped from a lab in Wuhan, the city where COVID-19 infections emerged in late 2019, setting off the pandemic. Beijing has instead suggested that the virus slipped out of a lab at the US Army's Fort Detrick base in Maryland in 2019. "It is only fair that if the US insists that this is a valid hypothesis, they should do their turn and invite the investigation into their labs," Fu said. Fu said China was not engaged in a disinformation campaign. The fringe idea once put forward by individual Chinese officials, which lacks any public evidence, has become a Chinese government talking point as it attempts to deflect criticism about its possible role in the origins of the virus. On Wednesday, the Chinese embassy in Washington posted the calls for World Health Organization investigations at Fort Detrick and at the University of North Carolina to its website after it said US media had rejected its editorial submissions. And on Tuesday, China's envoy to the United Nations asked the head of the WHO for an investigation into US labs. A joint WHO-Chinese team visited the Wuhan Institute of Virology but the United States said it had concerns about the access granted to the investigation. "The early days of the pandemic were irrefutably in China, yet China continues to obfuscate and deny the international community the needed access," a senior US administration official said, adding that if a future pandemic were to originate in the United States, it would insist on a "swift and transparent" evaluation. "If there were sound, technically credible reasons for a US investigation, we would of course support it. But there are none," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Republican Senator Marco Rubio, who has argued a Chinese lab leak was plausible, in a statement urged the Biden administration to immediately declassify the report. "The American people deserve to know what our government does and does not know about the origins of COVID-19," Rubio said. A key Congressional panel has been advised it may receive a copy of the classified report on Thursday, according to a Congressional official. (With inputs from agencies)

China accuses US of 'politicisation' and 'scapegoating' over COVID-19 origin report

Chinese state media has been caught quoting a fictitious Swiss scientist called Wilson Edwards&nbsp;on the politicisation of the COVID-19 origin probe.

The country's media was using the name of the&nbsp;alleged Swiss biologist saying he wrote a post in July on Facebook criticising the United States position on the World Health Organization (WHO) probe in China.

Edwards&nbsp;claimed that US President Joe Biden’s administration was trying to reclaim its influence in the WHO, after his predecessor Donald Trump withdrew US membership from the international body in April 2020 as the pandemic began.

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“I have the impression that WHO’s new plans, which include lab audits, are largely politically motivated,” Edwards was quoted as writing on the social media platform.

But after&nbsp;the Switzerland embassy in Beijing said it was 'fake news,' major state media outlets in China rushed to scrub references to the&nbsp;Swiss scientist from their news articles.

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Looking for Wilson Edwards, alleged 🇨🇭 biologist, cited in press and social media in China over the last several days. If you exist, we would like to meet you! But it is more likely that this is a fake news, and we call on the Chinese press and netizens to take down the posts. <a href="https://t.co/U6ku5EGibm">pic.twitter.com/U6ku5EGibm</a>
— Embassy of Switzerland in Beijing (@SwissEmbChina) <a href="https://twitter.com/SwissEmbChina/status/1425042973289504770?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 10, 2021</a></blockquote>
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The embassy statement added: “While we assume that the spreading of this story was done in good faith by the media and netizens, we kindly ask that anyone having published this story take it down and publish a corrigendum.”

People’s Daily (PD), China Daily and national broadcaster CGTN were among state media outlets that had published articles quoting him, attributing it to Edwards’ Facebook profile.

The WHO this month proposed a second phase of studies into the origins of the coronavirus in China, including audits of laboratories and markets in the city of Wuhan, calling for transparency from authorities.

China denies a genetically modified coronavirus leaked from the facility in Wuhan,&nbsp;where the first COVID-19 cases were detected in 2019,&nbsp;a leading but unproven theory among some experts. Beijing also denies allegations of a cover-up.

(With inputs from agencies)

Chinese state media has been caught quoting a fictitious Swiss scientist called Wilson Edwards on the politicisation of the COVID-19 origin probe. The country's media was using the name of the alleged Swiss biologist saying he wrote a post in July on Facebook criticising the United States position on the World Health Organization (WHO) probe in China.

Chinese state media has been caught quoting a fictitious Swiss scientist called Wilson Edwards on the politicisation of the COVID-19 origin probe. The country's media was using the name of the alleged Swiss biologist saying he wrote a post in July on Facebook criticising the United States position on the World Health Organization (WHO) probe in China. Edwards claimed that US President Joe Biden’s administration was trying to reclaim its influence in the WHO, after his predecessor Donald Trump withdrew US membership from the international body in April 2020 as the pandemic began. “I have the impression that WHO’s new plans, which include lab audits, are largely politically motivated,” Edwards was quoted as writing on the social media platform. But after the Switzerland embassy in Beijing said it was 'fake news,' major state media outlets in China rushed to scrub references to the Swiss scientist from their news articles. Looking for Wilson Edwards, alleged 🇨🇭 biologist, cited in press and social media in China over the last several days. If you exist, we would like to meet you! But it is more likely that this is a fake news, and we call on the Chinese press and netizens to take down the posts. pic.twitter.com/U6ku5EGibm — Embassy of Switzerland in Beijing (@SwissEmbChina) August 10, 2021 × The embassy statement added: “While we assume that the spreading of this story was done in good faith by the media and netizens, we kindly ask that anyone having published this story take it down and publish a corrigendum.” People’s Daily (PD), China Daily and national broadcaster CGTN were among state media outlets that had published articles quoting him, attributing it to Edwards’ Facebook profile. The WHO this month proposed a second phase of studies into the origins of the coronavirus in China, including audits of laboratories and markets in the city of Wuhan, calling for transparency from authorities. China denies a genetically modified coronavirus leaked from the facility in Wuhan, where the first COVID-19 cases were detected in 2019, a leading but unproven theory among some experts. Beijing also denies allegations of a cover-up. (With inputs from agencies)

Chinese state media caught quoting fictitious Swiss scientist questioning Covid probe

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Thursday that Israel was doing the world a "great service" by administering Covid vaccine booster shots, despite the World Health Organization's plea for a moratorium.

With the Israeli&nbsp;government recently rolling out a third shot for the over-60s, nearly&nbsp;60 percent of Israel's 9.3 million people have had two jabs, mostly of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/halt-the-boosters-who-says-it-is-unacceptable-that-some-countries-are-using-most-of-vaccines-global-supply-402979" hreflang="en">Halt the boosters: WHO says it is 'unacceptable' that some countries are using most of vaccine's global supply</a>

"Whoever is over the age of 60, and has yet to receive the third dose of the vaccine, is six times more susceptible to severe illness and&nbsp;heaven forbid, death," Bennett said.

In an online discussion with the public and journalists, Bennett said&nbsp;Israel's drive to give third doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to people over 60 would provide vital information to the world on combating the Delta variant.

Israel, with a population of 9.3 million, was a small country whose vaccine use "doesn't really affect the world supply significantly", he added.

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WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on Wednesday for a halt to boosters until at least the end of September, saying it was unacceptable for rich countries to use more of the global vaccine supply.

Since Sunday, Israel has been recording an average of more than 3,000 new coronavirus cases a day, with 250 people in serious condition, the highest since April.

The rise in infections is a step back after its world-leading vaccine campaign drove down new Covid-19 cases from 10,000 a day to fewer than 100.

More than 250,000 Israelis over the age 60, or over 20 percent of those currently eligible, had received a booster shot by Wednesday, the health ministry said.

Israel had lifted most Covid restrictions in early June, but began reimposing some of them last month following the resurgence of cases.

From Sunday, unvaccinated people will be required to present a negative Covid test of less than 24 hours, the health ministry said Thursday, adding that health passes would be extended to children under 12 from August 20.

(With inputs from agencies)

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Thursday that Israel was doing the world a "great service" by administering Covid vaccine booster shots, despite the World Health Organization's plea for a moratorium.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Thursday that Israel was doing the world a "great service" by administering Covid vaccine booster shots, despite the World Health Organization's plea for a moratorium. With the Israeli government recently rolling out a third shot for the over-60s, nearly 60 percent of Israel's 9.3 million people have had two jabs, mostly of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. Also read | Halt the boosters: WHO says it is 'unacceptable' that some countries are using most of vaccine's global supply "Whoever is over the age of 60, and has yet to receive the third dose of the vaccine, is six times more susceptible to severe illness and heaven forbid, death," Bennett said. In an online discussion with the public and journalists, Bennett said Israel's drive to give third doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to people over 60 would provide vital information to the world on combating the Delta variant. Israel, with a population of 9.3 million, was a small country whose vaccine use "doesn't really affect the world supply significantly", he added. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on Wednesday for a halt to boosters until at least the end of September, saying it was unacceptable for rich countries to use more of the global vaccine supply. Since Sunday, Israel has been recording an average of more than 3,000 new coronavirus cases a day, with 250 people in serious condition, the highest since April. The rise in infections is a step back after its world-leading vaccine campaign drove down new Covid-19 cases from 10,000 a day to fewer than 100. More than 250,000 Israelis over the age 60, or over 20 percent of those currently eligible, had received a booster shot by Wednesday, the health ministry said. Israel had lifted most Covid restrictions in early June, but began reimposing some of them last month following the resurgence of cases. From Sunday, unvaccinated people will be required to present a negative Covid test of less than 24 hours, the health ministry said Thursday, adding that health passes would be extended to children under 12 from August 20. (With inputs from agencies)

Naftali Bennett says Israel doing world a 'great service' with Covid booster shots

Calling for a halt on COVID-19 vaccine boosters until at least the end of September, WHO chief&nbsp;Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that ''we&nbsp;cannot accept countries that have already used most of the global supply of vaccines using even more of it.''

The call for a moratorium comes&nbsp;as the gap between vaccinations in wealthy and poor countries widens.

It is the strongest statement yet from the UN agency at a time when countries deliberate the need for boosters to combat the fast-spreading Delta variant of the coronavirus.

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High-income countries administered around 50 doses for every 100 people in May, and that number has since doubled, according to WHO. Low-income countries have only been able to administer 1.5 doses for every 100 people, due to lack of supply.

"We need an urgent reversal from the majority of vaccines going to high-income countries to the majority going to low-income countries," Tedros said.

To counter the spread of the Delta variant, some countries have begun to use or started weighing on the need for booster doses even as scientists debate over whether or not extra shots are needed.

"The fact that we are vaccinating healthy adults with a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines is a short-sighted way of thinking," said Elin Hoffmann Dahl, infectious diseases medical adviser to Medecins Sans Frontieres' access campaign.

"With the emergence of new variants, if we continue to leave the majority of the world unvaccinated, we will most definitely need adjusted vaccines in the future," Dahl told Reuters.

Last week, Israeli President Isaac Herzog received the third shot of the coronavirus vaccine, kicking off a campaign to give booster doses to people aged over 60 in the country.

Meanwhile, the&nbsp;United States signed a&nbsp;deal with Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech in July&nbsp;to buy 200 million additional doses of their COVID-19 vaccine to help with pediatric vaccination as well as possible booster shots.

(With inputs from agencies)

Calling for a halt on COVID-19 vaccine boosters until at least the end of September, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that ''we cannot accept countries that have already used most of the global supply of vaccines using even more of it.

Calling for a halt on COVID-19 vaccine boosters until at least the end of September, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that ''we cannot accept countries that have already used most of the global supply of vaccines using even more of it.'' The call for a moratorium comes as the gap between vaccinations in wealthy and poor countries widens. It is the strongest statement yet from the UN agency at a time when countries deliberate the need for boosters to combat the fast-spreading Delta variant of the coronavirus. High-income countries administered around 50 doses for every 100 people in May, and that number has since doubled, according to WHO. Low-income countries have only been able to administer 1.5 doses for every 100 people, due to lack of supply. "We need an urgent reversal from the majority of vaccines going to high-income countries to the majority going to low-income countries," Tedros said. To counter the spread of the Delta variant, some countries have begun to use or started weighing on the need for booster doses even as scientists debate over whether or not extra shots are needed. "The fact that we are vaccinating healthy adults with a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccines is a short-sighted way of thinking," said Elin Hoffmann Dahl, infectious diseases medical adviser to Medecins Sans Frontieres' access campaign. "With the emergence of new variants, if we continue to leave the majority of the world unvaccinated, we will most definitely need adjusted vaccines in the future," Dahl told Reuters. Last week, Israeli President Isaac Herzog received the third shot of the coronavirus vaccine, kicking off a campaign to give booster doses to people aged over 60 in the country. Meanwhile, the United States signed a deal with Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech in July to buy 200 million additional doses of their COVID-19 vaccine to help with pediatric vaccination as well as possible booster shots. (With inputs from agencies)

Halt the boosters: WHO says it is 'unacceptable' that some countries are using most of vaccine's global supply

The world is at risk of losing hard-won gains in fighting COVID-19, as the highly transmissible Delta variant spreads, but WHO-approved vaccines remain effective against the disease, the World Health Organization said on Friday.

The US&nbsp;Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has described the Delta variant of the coronavirus as being as transmissible as chickenpox and cautioned it could cause severe disease, the Washington Post said, citing an internal CDC document.

COVID-19 infections have increased by 80&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;over the past four weeks in most regions of the world, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. Deaths in Africa, where only 1.5&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;of the population is vaccinated - rose by 80 per cent&nbsp;over the same period.

"Hard-won gains are in jeopardy or being lost, and health systems in many countries are being overwhelmed," Tedros told a news conference.

The Delta variant has been detected in 132 countries, becoming the dominant global strain, according to the WHO.

"The vaccines that are currently approved by the WHO all provide significant protection against severe disease and hospitalization from all the variants, including the Delta variant," said WHO's top emergency expert Mike Ryan.

"We are fighting the same virus but a virus that has become faster and better adapted to transmitting amongst us humans, that's the change," he said.

Maria van Kerkhove, WHO technical lead on COVID-19, said that the Delta variant is about 50&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;more transmissible than ancestral strains of SARS-CoV-2, that first emerged in China in late 2019.

A few countries have reported increased hospitalization rates, but higher rates of mortality have not been recorded from the Delta variant, she said.

Ryan warned that Delta "is a warning that this virus is evolving, but it is also a call to action, that we need to move now, before more dangerous variants emerge".

Tedros, who traveled to Tokyo last week, said he wanted to use the Olympics platform to spread a message on vaccine solidarity.

"Do you really accept 1.5% vaccination in Africa while in some countries it is already 70%?...Is it really wrong to go to the mountain top of the Olympics to call for solidarity? Are you saying that's wrong? I hope not. So, that's why I went," he said.

Rising COVID-19 cases in Tokyo have cast a shadow over the event and organisers on Friday (July 30) reported 27 new Games-related COVID-19 cases including three athletes, bringing the total since July 1 to 220.

"Japan did did its best and IOC of course, they did their best to minimize risk, because nobody should expect zero risk," Tedros said.

Ryan said the risk management in place for the Olympics was extremely comprehensive.

The world is at risk of losing hard-won gains in fighting COVID-19, as the highly transmissible Delta variant spreads, but WHO-approved vaccines remain effective against the disease, the World Health Organization said on Friday.

The world is at risk of losing hard-won gains in fighting COVID-19, as the highly transmissible Delta variant spreads, but WHO-approved vaccines remain effective against the disease, the World Health Organization said on Friday. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has described the Delta variant of the coronavirus as being as transmissible as chickenpox and cautioned it could cause severe disease, the Washington Post said, citing an internal CDC document. COVID-19 infections have increased by 80 per cent over the past four weeks in most regions of the world, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. Deaths in Africa, where only 1.5 per cent of the population is vaccinated - rose by 80 per cent over the same period. "Hard-won gains are in jeopardy or being lost, and health systems in many countries are being overwhelmed," Tedros told a news conference. The Delta variant has been detected in 132 countries, becoming the dominant global strain, according to the WHO. "The vaccines that are currently approved by the WHO all provide significant protection against severe disease and hospitalization from all the variants, including the Delta variant," said WHO's top emergency expert Mike Ryan. "We are fighting the same virus but a virus that has become faster and better adapted to transmitting amongst us humans, that's the change," he said. Maria van Kerkhove, WHO technical lead on COVID-19, said that the Delta variant is about 50 per cent more transmissible than ancestral strains of SARS-CoV-2, that first emerged in China in late 2019. A few countries have reported increased hospitalization rates, but higher rates of mortality have not been recorded from the Delta variant, she said. Ryan warned that Delta "is a warning that this virus is evolving, but it is also a call to action, that we need to move now, before more dangerous variants emerge". Tedros, who traveled to Tokyo last week, said he wanted to use the Olympics platform to spread a message on vaccine solidarity. "Do you really accept 1.5% vaccination in Africa while in some countries it is already 70%?...Is it really wrong to go to the mountain top of the Olympics to call for solidarity? Are you saying that's wrong? I hope not. So, that's why I went," he said. Rising COVID-19 cases in Tokyo have cast a shadow over the event and organisers on Friday (July 30) reported 27 new Games-related COVID-19 cases including three athletes, bringing the total since July 1 to 220. "Japan did did its best and IOC of course, they did their best to minimize risk, because nobody should expect zero risk," Tedros said. Ryan said the risk management in place for the Olympics was extremely comprehensive.

Hard-won gains at risk as Delta variant spreads, says World Health Organization

The World Health Organization reported&nbsp;that the Delta variant is causing a surge in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">coronavirus</a> outbreaks,&nbsp;triggering a "fourth wave"&nbsp;in the Middle East where <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus-vaccine">vaccination rates</a> are low.

From Morocco to Pakistan, 15 of the 22 territories and countries under the purview of the global health body have been infected with the highly transmissible strain.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/coronavirus-deaths-surge-by-21-cases-can-exceed-200-million-in-two-weeks-who-401228">Coronavirus deaths surge by 21% , cases can exceed 200 million in two weeks: WHO</a>

"The circulation of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/delta-is-the-fastest-covid-19-variant-and-will-pick-off-the-most-vulnerable-who-393278">Delta variant</a> is fuelling the surge in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">COVID-19</a> cases and deaths in an increasing number of countries in WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Region," it said in a statement.

Comparing last month to the previous month, infection rates soared by 55 per cent, while mortality rates surged by 15 per cent. Weekly, the number of cases has exceeded 310,000 and the death toll has reached 3,500.

The WHO noted that the Delta variant was quickly becoming "the dominant strain" in the region due to its rapid spread.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/delta-variant-now-in-three-chinese-provinces-401421">Delta variant now in three Chinese provinces</a>

Among the newly hospitalized and newly diagnosed are many people unvaccinated against COVID-19. In this region, the virus is approaching its fourth wave, noted Ahmed al-Mandhari, WHO's Eastern Mediterranean region director.

As of the last week of July, the WHO reports that only 41 million people, or merely 5.5 per cent of the region's population, were fully vaccinated.

The regional healthcare system has been forced to stretch its resources due to a critical shortage of oxygen tanks and intensive care beds.

North African countries like Tunisia, which have seen the most COVID-19 deaths, are struggling with containing the outbreak.

The amount of virus found in the first samples of Delta variant patients was 1,000 times higher than the samples taken from patients in the first wave of the virus in 2020, making it far more contagious., according to an article published in the journal Virological.

(With inputs from agencies)

The World Health Organization reported that the Delta variant is causing a surge in coronavirus outbreaks, triggering a "fourth wave" in the Middle East where vaccination rates are low.

The World Health Organization reported that the Delta variant is causing a surge in coronavirus outbreaks, triggering a "fourth wave" in the Middle East where vaccination rates are low. From Morocco to Pakistan, 15 of the 22 territories and countries under the purview of the global health body have been infected with the highly transmissible strain. Also read | Coronavirus deaths surge by 21% , cases can exceed 200 million in two weeks: WHO "The circulation of the Delta variant is fuelling the surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths in an increasing number of countries in WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Region," it said in a statement. Comparing last month to the previous month, infection rates soared by 55 per cent, while mortality rates surged by 15 per cent. Weekly, the number of cases has exceeded 310,000 and the death toll has reached 3,500. The WHO noted that the Delta variant was quickly becoming "the dominant strain" in the region due to its rapid spread. Also read | Delta variant now in three Chinese provinces Among the newly hospitalized and newly diagnosed are many people unvaccinated against COVID-19. In this region, the virus is approaching its fourth wave, noted Ahmed al-Mandhari, WHO's Eastern Mediterranean region director. As of the last week of July, the WHO reports that only 41 million people, or merely 5.5 per cent of the region's population, were fully vaccinated. The regional healthcare system has been forced to stretch its resources due to a critical shortage of oxygen tanks and intensive care beds. North African countries like Tunisia, which have seen the most COVID-19 deaths, are struggling with containing the outbreak. The amount of virus found in the first samples of Delta variant patients was 1,000 times higher than the samples taken from patients in the first wave of the virus in 2020, making it far more contagious., according to an article published in the journal Virological. (With inputs from agencies)

World Health Organization blames Delta variant for Middle East virus surge

A major influx of vaccination doses is expected to come through for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/covax-delivers-over-20-million-doses-to-20-nations-368420">Covax</a> over the coming months, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). 250 million doses of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus-vaccine">COVID-19 vaccine</a> will be donated within six to eight weeks, it said.

With more than 152 million doses distributed thus far to 137 participating territories, the scheme aims to provide vaccines to poorer countries, and the inflow of doses will be a major boost.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-to-distribute-80-million-vaccine-doses-through-covax-india-included-in-list-white-house-389263">US to distribute 80 million vaccine doses through Covax; India included in list: White House</a>

In a weekly operational update issued Wednesday, the WHO said that at a recent UN Crisis Management Team meeting that there will be increased vaccine donations to the Covax facility, projecting an additional 250 million vaccines over the next six to eight weeks".

Covax is a vaccine distribution programme co-led by the World Health Organization, the Gavi vaccine alliance and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, with UNICEF handling the vaccine delivery flights through its vaccine logistics expertise.

92 of the world's poorest countries can get vaccinations free of charge through Covax, the cost of which is supported by donors.

Plants in India that produced AstraZeneca doses were to be Covax's early backbone, but India restricted exports because of its own devastating Coronavirus outbreak.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/give-at-least-50-of-vaccine-doses-to-covax-programme-who-390032">Give at least 50% of vaccine doses to Covax programme: WHO</a>

Consequently, Covax is increasingly dependent on donations from wealthy countries, that have purchased more batches than they need.

Gavi chief executive Seth Berkley emphasized the importance of higher vaccine coverage everywhere in order to protect the most vulnerable against the emergence of new disease variants. He stated that global vaccine demand and supply are far imbalanced, leaving millions unprotected.

Inequity surrounding vaccines

Several countries have begun vaccinating children and giving additional booster vaccinations to it's citizens, while others have so far not been able to vaccinate their health care workers and elderly, who are most at risk of acquiring serious diseases.

It is a matter of grave concern to the WHO that rich and poor nations have starkly different access to COVID-19 vaccines.

To provide full protection, most Covid vaccines require two shots.&nbsp; Among high-income countries, as classified by the World Bank, 96.7 doses have been administered per 100 residents.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/united-states-donates-153-million-johnson-johnson-vaccines-to-nepal-397680">United States donates 1.53 million Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccines to Nepal</a>

In the 29 lowest-income countries, the average dose per 100 people is only 1.6.

On Wednesday, Tanzania was expected to begin rolling out vaccinations, leaving only Burundi, Eritrea and North Korea without COVID-19 immunization campaigns.

Covax delivered over a million single-shot vaccines donated by the United States to Tanzania on Saturday.

A total of 610 million doses are expected to be donated to Covax between 2021 and 2022.

The United States accounts for 260 million of those, while the European Union accounts for 200 million, Britain accounts for 80 million, and Canada and Japan account for about 30 million each.

(With inputs from agencies)

A major influx of vaccination doses is expected to come through for Covax over the coming months, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). 250 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine will be donated within six to eight weeks, it said.

A major influx of vaccination doses is expected to come through for Covax over the coming months, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). 250 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine will be donated within six to eight weeks, it said. With more than 152 million doses distributed thus far to 137 participating territories, the scheme aims to provide vaccines to poorer countries, and the inflow of doses will be a major boost. Also read | US to distribute 80 million vaccine doses through Covax; India included in list: White House In a weekly operational update issued Wednesday, the WHO said that at a recent UN Crisis Management Team meeting that there will be increased vaccine donations to the Covax facility, projecting an additional 250 million vaccines over the next six to eight weeks". Covax is a vaccine distribution programme co-led by the World Health Organization, the Gavi vaccine alliance and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, with UNICEF handling the vaccine delivery flights through its vaccine logistics expertise. 92 of the world's poorest countries can get vaccinations free of charge through Covax, the cost of which is supported by donors. Plants in India that produced AstraZeneca doses were to be Covax's early backbone, but India restricted exports because of its own devastating Coronavirus outbreak. Also read | Give at least 50% of vaccine doses to Covax programme: WHO Consequently, Covax is increasingly dependent on donations from wealthy countries, that have purchased more batches than they need. Gavi chief executive Seth Berkley emphasized the importance of higher vaccine coverage everywhere in order to protect the most vulnerable against the emergence of new disease variants. He stated that global vaccine demand and supply are far imbalanced, leaving millions unprotected. Inequity surrounding vaccines Several countries have begun vaccinating children and giving additional booster vaccinations to it's citizens, while others have so far not been able to vaccinate their health care workers and elderly, who are most at risk of acquiring serious diseases. It is a matter of grave concern to the WHO that rich and poor nations have starkly different access to COVID-19 vaccines. To provide full protection, most Covid vaccines require two shots. Among high-income countries, as classified by the World Bank, 96.7 doses have been administered per 100 residents. Also read | United States donates 1.53 million Johnson & Johnson vaccines to Nepal In the 29 lowest-income countries, the average dose per 100 people is only 1.6. On Wednesday, Tanzania was expected to begin rolling out vaccinations, leaving only Burundi, Eritrea and North Korea without COVID-19 immunization campaigns. Covax delivered over a million single-shot vaccines donated by the United States to Tanzania on Saturday. A total of 610 million doses are expected to be donated to Covax between 2021 and 2022. The United States accounts for 260 million of those, while the European Union accounts for 200 million, Britain accounts for 80 million, and Canada and Japan account for about 30 million each. (With inputs from agencies)

Covax expects 250 million donated doses in six to eight weeks: WHO

The Philippines has become the world's first country Friday to approve the commercial production of genetically modified "golden rice".

Crops such as rice, wheat, and soybeans, as well as fruits and vegetables have a naturally occurring "glitch" in the way they photosynthesize that causes the plants to use up energy and resources, drastically suppressing productivity.

Experts believe the decision made by the Philippines&nbsp;will combat childhood blindness and save lives in the developing world.

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A biosafety permit issued by government regulators paves the way for the rice, enriched with the vitamin A-precursor beta-carotene to make it more nutritional, to be grown by farmers across the country, its developers said.

Russell Reinke of the Philippine-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) said&nbsp;"It's a really significant step for our project because it means that we are past this regulatory phase and golden rice will be declared as safe as ordinary rice.''

The next step was to "take our few kilos of seed and multiply it... so it can be made more widely available", he said.

IRRI has spent two decades working with the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute to develop golden rice, named for its bright yellow hue.

It is the first genetically modified rice approved for commercial propagation in South and Southeast Asia, officials said Friday.

Golden rice has faced strong resistance from environmental groups opposed to genetically altered food plants. At least one test field in the Philippines was attacked by activists.

The possibility of a broad&nbsp;GMO&nbsp;ban, twinned with a more fully-formed policy to prohibit the widely-used weed killer glyphosate, has been lauded by environmental groups such as Greenpeace.

Despite passing the final regulatory hurdle, the rice is still a way off appearing in food bowls.&nbsp;

"Limited quantities" of seed could start to be distributed to Filipino farmers in selected provinces next year, Reinke said.

Ordinary rice, a staple for hundreds of millions of people particularly in Asia, produces beta-carotene in the plant, but it is not found in the grain.

"The only change that we've made is to produce beta-carotene in the grain," Reinke said.&nbsp;

"The farmers will be able to grow them in exactly the same way as ordinary varieties...&nbsp;it doesn't need additional fertiliser or changes in management and it carries with it the benefit of improved nutrition."

Vitamin A is essential for normal growth and development, the proper functioning of the immune system, and vision.

World Health Organization data show vitamin A deficiency causes up to 500,000 cases of childhood blindness every year, with half of those dying within 12 months of losing their sight.

Nearly 17 percent of children under the age of five in the Philippines are deficient in vitamin A, according to IRRI.

"We've always said we will provide 30-50 percent of that estimated average requirement (of vitamin A), and when you add that to what is existing in the diet you push up a whole cohort of the population from insufficiency to sufficiency," Reinke said.

Golden rice was analysed by food safety regulators in Australia, the United States and Canada and was given the thumbs up, he said, but it has not been approved in these countries for commercial production. It is also being reviewed by regulators in Bangladesh.

(With inputs from agencies)

The Philippines has become the world's first country Friday to approve the commercial production of genetically modified "golden rice". Crops such as rice, wheat, and soybeans, as well as fruits and vegetables have a naturally occurring "glitch" in the way they photosynthesize that causes the plants to use up energy and resources, drastically suppressing productivity.

The Philippines has become the world's first country Friday to approve the commercial production of genetically modified "golden rice". Crops such as rice, wheat, and soybeans, as well as fruits and vegetables have a naturally occurring "glitch" in the way they photosynthesize that causes the plants to use up energy and resources, drastically suppressing productivity. Experts believe the decision made by the Philippines will combat childhood blindness and save lives in the developing world. A biosafety permit issued by government regulators paves the way for the rice, enriched with the vitamin A-precursor beta-carotene to make it more nutritional, to be grown by farmers across the country, its developers said. Russell Reinke of the Philippine-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) said "It's a really significant step for our project because it means that we are past this regulatory phase and golden rice will be declared as safe as ordinary rice.'' The next step was to "take our few kilos of seed and multiply it... so it can be made more widely available", he said. IRRI has spent two decades working with the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute to develop golden rice, named for its bright yellow hue. It is the first genetically modified rice approved for commercial propagation in South and Southeast Asia, officials said Friday. Golden rice has faced strong resistance from environmental groups opposed to genetically altered food plants. At least one test field in the Philippines was attacked by activists. The possibility of a broad GMO ban, twinned with a more fully-formed policy to prohibit the widely-used weed killer glyphosate, has been lauded by environmental groups such as Greenpeace. Despite passing the final regulatory hurdle, the rice is still a way off appearing in food bowls. "Limited quantities" of seed could start to be distributed to Filipino farmers in selected provinces next year, Reinke said. Ordinary rice, a staple for hundreds of millions of people particularly in Asia, produces beta-carotene in the plant, but it is not found in the grain. "The only change that we've made is to produce beta-carotene in the grain," Reinke said. "The farmers will be able to grow them in exactly the same way as ordinary varieties... it doesn't need additional fertiliser or changes in management and it carries with it the benefit of improved nutrition." Vitamin A is essential for normal growth and development, the proper functioning of the immune system, and vision. World Health Organization data show vitamin A deficiency causes up to 500,000 cases of childhood blindness every year, with half of those dying within 12 months of losing their sight. Nearly 17 percent of children under the age of five in the Philippines are deficient in vitamin A, according to IRRI. "We've always said we will provide 30-50 percent of that estimated average requirement (of vitamin A), and when you add that to what is existing in the diet you push up a whole cohort of the population from insufficiency to sufficiency," Reinke said. Golden rice was analysed by food safety regulators in Australia, the United States and Canada and was given the thumbs up, he said, but it has not been approved in these countries for commercial production. It is also being reviewed by regulators in Bangladesh. (With inputs from agencies)

Philippines becomes first country to approve genetically modified 'golden rice' for commercial production

World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has&nbsp;proposed a second phase of studies into the origins of the coronavirus in China, including audits of laboratories and markets in Wuhan, calling for transparency from authorities.

It comes after Tedros said that&nbsp;investigations were being hampered by the lack of raw data on the first days of the spread of COVID-19 in China.

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Phase two work would require studies of humans, wildlife and animal markets in Wuhan, including Huanan wholesale market, he said in remarks released by the agency.

It would also require "audits of relevant laboratories and research institutions operating in the area of the initial human cases identified in December 2019", Tedros said.

Diplomats said that China, which has resisted a return by international scientists, voiced objections at the closed-door talks saying: "This plan is not a basis for future studies."

A WHO-led team spent four weeks in and around the central city of Wuhan with Chinese researchers and said in a joint report in March that the virus had probably been transmitted from bats to humans through another animal.

But countries including the United States and some scientists have demanded further investigation, particularly into the Wuhan Institute of Virology which was conducting research into bats.

"Finding the origins of this virus is a scientific exercise that must be kept free from politics. For that to happen, we expect China to support this next phase of the scientific process by sharing all relevant data in a spirit of transparency," Tedros said.

China has called the theory that the virus may have escaped from a Wuhan laboratory "absurd" and said repeatedly that "politicizing" the issue would hamper investigations.

At a regular news briefing on Friday, when asked about Tedros's earlier comments on the need for more data from China, China's foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that some data was unable to be copied or leave China as it involved personal information.

Faced with international criticism over how it handled the initial outbreak in the central city of Wuhan and calls for an international inquiry into the causes of the pandemic, Beijing has been keen to position itself as a saviour for other countries now struggling to control the virus.

China, where the coronavirus first surfaced in late 2019, has&nbsp;promised billions of dollars in aid, medical equipment and vaccines to countries around the world in recent months as it brought domestic outbreaks under control.

(With inputs from agencies)

World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has proposed a second phase of studies into the origins of the coronavirus in China, including audits of laboratories and markets in Wuhan, calling for transparency from authorities.

World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has proposed a second phase of studies into the origins of the coronavirus in China, including audits of laboratories and markets in Wuhan, calling for transparency from authorities. It comes after Tedros said that investigations were being hampered by the lack of raw data on the first days of the spread of COVID-19 in China. Phase two work would require studies of humans, wildlife and animal markets in Wuhan, including Huanan wholesale market, he said in remarks released by the agency. It would also require "audits of relevant laboratories and research institutions operating in the area of the initial human cases identified in December 2019", Tedros said. Diplomats said that China, which has resisted a return by international scientists, voiced objections at the closed-door talks saying: "This plan is not a basis for future studies." A WHO-led team spent four weeks in and around the central city of Wuhan with Chinese researchers and said in a joint report in March that the virus had probably been transmitted from bats to humans through another animal. But countries including the United States and some scientists have demanded further investigation, particularly into the Wuhan Institute of Virology which was conducting research into bats. "Finding the origins of this virus is a scientific exercise that must be kept free from politics. For that to happen, we expect China to support this next phase of the scientific process by sharing all relevant data in a spirit of transparency," Tedros said. China has called the theory that the virus may have escaped from a Wuhan laboratory "absurd" and said repeatedly that "politicizing" the issue would hamper investigations. At a regular news briefing on Friday, when asked about Tedros's earlier comments on the need for more data from China, China's foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that some data was unable to be copied or leave China as it involved personal information. Faced with international criticism over how it handled the initial outbreak in the central city of Wuhan and calls for an international inquiry into the causes of the pandemic, Beijing has been keen to position itself as a saviour for other countries now struggling to control the virus. China, where the coronavirus first surfaced in late 2019, has promised billions of dollars in aid, medical equipment and vaccines to countries around the world in recent months as it brought domestic outbreaks under control. (With inputs from agencies)

WHO proposes second phase of studies into the origins of COVID-19 in China

The World Health Organization (WHO) today declared China malaria-free, following a decades-long effort that reduced an estimated yearly toll of 30 million cases in the 1940s to zero in 2017, including 300,000 deaths.&nbsp;

China created new monitoring tactics, treatments, and technology along the path to break the malaria parasite transmission cycle between Anopheles mosquitoes and humans.&nbsp; 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/drug-resistant-malaria-making-inroads-in-africa-study-377979">Also read | Drug-resistant malaria making inroads in Africa: Study</a>

“Today we congratulate the people of China on ridding the country of malaria,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Their success was hard-earned and came only after decades of targeted and sustained action. With this announcement, China joins the growing number of countries that are showing the world that a malaria-free future is a viable goal.”

In more than three decades, China became the first country in the WHO Western Pacific Region to receive a malaria-free certification.

Australia (1981), Singapore (1982), and Brunei Darussalam (1987) are among the other countries in the region to have attained this status.&nbsp;

China is also the 40th country in the world to be declared malaria-free by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva.

El Salvador (2021), Algeria and Argentina (2019), and Paraguay and Uzbekistan were the most recent countries to be granted the status (2018).

A separate list of 61 nations where malaria never existed or was eradicated without specific measures is also available. 
 
Beginning in the 1950s, Chinese health officials worked to locate and halt the spread of malaria by giving both preventive antimalarial drugs and therapy for those who had already been infected. In some locations, the country also made a huge effort to limit mosquito breeding sites by increasing the use of chemical spraying in households.&nbsp; 
 
Chinese scientists have developed genetics-based ways to track medication resistance and differentiate local instances from imported cases in recent years.&nbsp;

“China’s ability to think outside the box served the country well in its own response to malaria,” Pedro Alonso, director of WHO's Global Malaria Programme, said in a statement.

(With inputs from agencies)

The World Health Organization (WHO) today declared China malaria-free, following a decades-long effort that reduced an estimated yearly toll of 30 million cases in the 1940s to zero in 2017, including 300,000 deaths.

The World Health Organization (WHO) today declared China malaria-free, following a decades-long effort that reduced an estimated yearly toll of 30 million cases in the 1940s to zero in 2017, including 300,000 deaths. China created new monitoring tactics, treatments, and technology along the path to break the malaria parasite transmission cycle between Anopheles mosquitoes and humans. Also read | Drug-resistant malaria making inroads in Africa: Study “Today we congratulate the people of China on ridding the country of malaria,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Their success was hard-earned and came only after decades of targeted and sustained action. With this announcement, China joins the growing number of countries that are showing the world that a malaria-free future is a viable goal.” In more than three decades, China became the first country in the WHO Western Pacific Region to receive a malaria-free certification. Australia (1981), Singapore (1982), and Brunei Darussalam (1987) are among the other countries in the region to have attained this status. China is also the 40th country in the world to be declared malaria-free by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva. El Salvador (2021), Algeria and Argentina (2019), and Paraguay and Uzbekistan were the most recent countries to be granted the status (2018). A separate list of 61 nations where malaria never existed or was eradicated without specific measures is also available. Beginning in the 1950s, Chinese health officials worked to locate and halt the spread of malaria by giving both preventive antimalarial drugs and therapy for those who had already been infected. In some locations, the country also made a huge effort to limit mosquito breeding sites by increasing the use of chemical spraying in households. Chinese scientists have developed genetics-based ways to track medication resistance and differentiate local instances from imported cases in recent years. “China’s ability to think outside the box served the country well in its own response to malaria,” Pedro Alonso, director of WHO's Global Malaria Programme, said in a statement. (With inputs from agencies)

China has eliminated malaria: From 30 million cases to zero

A British study published on Friday showed that the&nbsp;virus that causes COVID-19 could have started spreading in&nbsp;China&nbsp;as early as October 2019, two months before the first case was identified in the central city of Wuhan.

Researchers from Britain's University of Kent used methods from conservation science to estimate that SARS-CoV-2 first appeared from early October to mid-November 2019, according to a paper published in the PLOS Pathogens journal.

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The most likely date for the virus's emergence was November&nbsp;17, 2019, and it had probably already spread globally by January 2020, they estimated.

China's first official COVID-19 case was reported in December 2019 and was linked to Wuhan's Huanan seafood market.

However, some early cases had no known connection with Huanan, implying that SARS-CoV-2 was already circulating before it reached the market.

A joint study published by&nbsp;China&nbsp;and the World Health Organization at the end of March acknowledged there could have been sporadic human infections before the Wuhan outbreak.

In a paper released in preprint form this week, Jesse Bloom of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle recovered deleted sequencing data from early COVID-19 cases in&nbsp;China.

The data showed that samples taken from the Huanan market were "not representative" of SARS-CoV-2 as a whole, and were a variant of a progenitor sequence circulating earlier, which spread to other parts of&nbsp;China.

The US&nbsp;National Institutes of Health confirmed&nbsp;that the samples used in the study were submitted to the Sequence Read Archive (SRA) in March 2020 and later deleted at the request of Chinese investigators, who said they would be updated and submitted to another archive.

Critics said the deletion was further evidence that&nbsp;China&nbsp;was trying to cover up the origins of COVID-19.

"Why would scientists ask international databases to delete key data that informs us about how COVID-19 began in Wuhan?" said Alina Chan, a researcher with Harvard's Broad Institute, writing on Twitter.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
1. Wuhan University deleted SARS2 data relating to early cases 
2. <a href="https://twitter.com/jbloom_lab?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jbloom_lab</a> recovered the data 
3. Identified virus sequences that could precede the official "first" SARS2 sequence from China 
4. Analysis suggests SARS2 was circulating in Wuhan before Huanan seafood market <a href="https://t.co/I8xRdqpMh1">https://t.co/I8xRdqpMh1</a>
— Alina Chan (@Ayjchan) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ayjchan/status/1407455333115645956?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 22, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Another study by Australian scientists, published on Thursday in the Scientific Reports journal, used genomic data to show SARS-CoV-2 binds to human receptors far more easily than other species, suggesting it was already adapted to humans when it first emerged.

It said it was possible there was another unidentified animal with even stronger affinity that served as an intermediary species, but the hypothesis that it leaked from the lab could not be ruled out.

"While it is clear early viruses had a high propensity for human receptors, that doesn't mean they were 'man-made'," said Dominic Dwyer, infectious disease expert at Australia's Westmead Hospital who was part of the WHO team investigating COVID-19 in Wuhan this year.

"Such conclusions remain speculative," he said.

Serum samples still needed to be tested to make a stronger case about COVID-19's origins, said Stuart Turville, associate professor at the Kirby Institute, an Australian medical research organisation who was responding to the University of Kent study.

"Unfortunately with the current pressure of the lab leak hypothesis and the sensitivities in doing this follow-up research in&nbsp;China, it may be some time till we see reports like that," he said.

(With inputs from agencies)

A British study published on Friday showed that the virus that causes COVID-19 could have started spreading in China as early as October 2019, two months before the first case was identified in the central city of Wuhan.

A British study published on Friday showed that the virus that causes COVID-19 could have started spreading in China as early as October 2019, two months before the first case was identified in the central city of Wuhan. Researchers from Britain's University of Kent used methods from conservation science to estimate that SARS-CoV-2 first appeared from early October to mid-November 2019, according to a paper published in the PLOS Pathogens journal. The most likely date for the virus's emergence was November 17, 2019, and it had probably already spread globally by January 2020, they estimated. China's first official COVID-19 case was reported in December 2019 and was linked to Wuhan's Huanan seafood market. However, some early cases had no known connection with Huanan, implying that SARS-CoV-2 was already circulating before it reached the market. A joint study published by China and the World Health Organization at the end of March acknowledged there could have been sporadic human infections before the Wuhan outbreak. In a paper released in preprint form this week, Jesse Bloom of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle recovered deleted sequencing data from early COVID-19 cases in China. The data showed that samples taken from the Huanan market were "not representative" of SARS-CoV-2 as a whole, and were a variant of a progenitor sequence circulating earlier, which spread to other parts of China. The US National Institutes of Health confirmed that the samples used in the study were submitted to the Sequence Read Archive (SRA) in March 2020 and later deleted at the request of Chinese investigators, who said they would be updated and submitted to another archive. Critics said the deletion was further evidence that China was trying to cover up the origins of COVID-19. "Why would scientists ask international databases to delete key data that informs us about how COVID-19 began in Wuhan?" said Alina Chan, a researcher with Harvard's Broad Institute, writing on Twitter. 1. Wuhan University deleted SARS2 data relating to early cases 2. @jbloom_lab recovered the data 3. Identified virus sequences that could precede the official "first" SARS2 sequence from China 4. Analysis suggests SARS2 was circulating in Wuhan before Huanan seafood market https://t.co/I8xRdqpMh1 — Alina Chan (@Ayjchan) June 22, 2021 × Another study by Australian scientists, published on Thursday in the Scientific Reports journal, used genomic data to show SARS-CoV-2 binds to human receptors far more easily than other species, suggesting it was already adapted to humans when it first emerged. It said it was possible there was another unidentified animal with even stronger affinity that served as an intermediary species, but the hypothesis that it leaked from the lab could not be ruled out. "While it is clear early viruses had a high propensity for human receptors, that doesn't mean they were 'man-made'," said Dominic Dwyer, infectious disease expert at Australia's Westmead Hospital who was part of the WHO team investigating COVID-19 in Wuhan this year. "Such conclusions remain speculative," he said. Serum samples still needed to be tested to make a stronger case about COVID-19's origins, said Stuart Turville, associate professor at the Kirby Institute, an Australian medical research organisation who was responding to the University of Kent study. "Unfortunately with the current pressure of the lab leak hypothesis and the sensitivities in doing this follow-up research in China, it may be some time till we see reports like that," he said. (With inputs from agencies)

British study says first COVID-19 case could have emerged in China in October 2019

When the COVID-19 pandemic exploded around the globe, scientists warned of dire consequences if the chain of transmission wasn’t disrupted on time. We were warned that more dangerous variants would emerge and that vaccines may lose efficacy in the face of such mutations.

Now, a World Health Organization (WHO) official claims that COVID-19 vaccines are signalling reduced efficacy against the Delta variant of coronavirus.

Related video:&nbsp;Cases of Delta variant of Coronavirus rising in the UK

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Even though the current vaccines are able to offer great protection against severe illnesses and significantly cut death rates, it is a worrying trend which could leave the vaccines completely ineffective against potential highly mutated variants. Highlighting the dangers posed by a “constellation of mutations”, Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) technical lead for Covid&nbsp;warned against giving the virus any chance to mutate further, media reports said.

Recently, the Delta variant (B.1.617.2) mutated further to create the Delta Plus variant, cases of which are being reported in India, where the original Delta variant was also first identified.&nbsp;

Why we should we wary

The Delta variant is highly transmissible and is listed as a “variant of concern” by WHO. Dangers of another wave continue to lurk in the shadows. India was able to bring down its caseload only recently, and cases in the United Kingdom have also shot up to 10,000 again.

And the more the virus is allowed to spread, the higher number of mutations we can expect. In the face of this, vaccines may or not be able to keep up, which is why breaking the chain of transmission is pertinent.

Transmission can be stopped by strict compliance with precautionary measures like masks, hand hygiene and social distancing. If a majority of the world’s population is vaccinated against coronavirus, herd immunity could be reached. But with inequality in terms of access to jabs, universal vaccination seems unlikely in the near future unless developed countries dispatch life-saving jabs to developing countries on war footing.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/taiwan-wants-german-vaccines-china-may-be-standing-in-its-way-392037" hreflang="en">Taiwan wants German vaccines. China may be standing in its way.</a>

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/uk-opens-vaccines-for-21-22-year-olds-fearing-rise-of-delta-variant-391906" hreflang="en">UK opens vaccines for 21-22 year olds, fearing rise of Delta variant</a>

When the COVID-19 pandemic exploded around the globe, scientists warned of dire consequences if the chain of transmission wasn’t disrupted on time. We were warned that more dangerous variants would emerge and that vaccines may lose efficacy in the face of such mutations.

When the COVID-19 pandemic exploded around the globe, scientists warned of dire consequences if the chain of transmission wasn’t disrupted on time. We were warned that more dangerous variants would emerge and that vaccines may lose efficacy in the face of such mutations. Now, a World Health Organization (WHO) official claims that COVID-19 vaccines are signalling reduced efficacy against the Delta variant of coronavirus. Related video: Cases of Delta variant of Coronavirus rising in the UK Even though the current vaccines are able to offer great protection against severe illnesses and significantly cut death rates, it is a worrying trend which could leave the vaccines completely ineffective against potential highly mutated variants. Highlighting the dangers posed by a “constellation of mutations”, Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) technical lead for Covid warned against giving the virus any chance to mutate further, media reports said. Recently, the Delta variant (B.1.617.2) mutated further to create the Delta Plus variant, cases of which are being reported in India, where the original Delta variant was also first identified. Why we should we wary The Delta variant is highly transmissible and is listed as a “variant of concern” by WHO. Dangers of another wave continue to lurk in the shadows. India was able to bring down its caseload only recently, and cases in the United Kingdom have also shot up to 10,000 again. And the more the virus is allowed to spread, the higher number of mutations we can expect. In the face of this, vaccines may or not be able to keep up, which is why breaking the chain of transmission is pertinent. Transmission can be stopped by strict compliance with precautionary measures like masks, hand hygiene and social distancing. If a majority of the world’s population is vaccinated against coronavirus, herd immunity could be reached. But with inequality in terms of access to jabs, universal vaccination seems unlikely in the near future unless developed countries dispatch life-saving jabs to developing countries on war footing. Also read: Taiwan wants German vaccines. China may be standing in its way. Also read: UK opens vaccines for 21-22 year olds, fearing rise of Delta variant

Covid vaccines are losing efficacy against Delta variant, warns WHO epidemiologist

To a growing chorus of U.S. politicians and scientists, she is the key to whether the world will ever learn if the virus behind the devastating COVID-19 pandemic escaped from a Chinese lab. To the Chinese government and public, she is a hero of the country’s success in curbing the epidemic and a victim of malicious conspiracy theories.

Shi Zhengli, a top Chinese virologist, is once again at the centre of clashing narratives about her research on coronaviruses at a state lab in Wuhan, the city where the pandemic first emerged.

The idea that the virus may have escaped from a lab had long been widely dismissed by scientists as implausible and shunned by others for its connection with former President Donald Trump. But fresh scrutiny from the Biden administration and calls for greater candour from prominent scientists have brought the theory back to the fore.

Scientists generally agree that there is still no direct evidence to support the lab leak theory. But more of them now say that the hypothesis was dismissed too hastily, without a thorough investigation, and they point to a range of unsettling questions.

Some scientists say Shi conducted risky experiments with bat coronaviruses in labs that were not safe enough. Others want clarity on reports, citing U.S. intelligence, suggesting that there were early infections of COVID-19 among several employees of the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Shi has denied these accusations and now finds herself defending the reputation of her lab and, by extension, that of her country. Reached on her cellphone last week, Shi said at first that she preferred not to speak directly with reporters, citing her institute’s policies. Yet she could barely contain her frustration.

“How on earth can I offer up evidence for something where there is no evidence?” she said, her voice rising in anger during the brief, unscheduled conversation. “I don’t know how the world has come to this, constantly pouring filth on an innocent scientist,” she wrote in a text message.

In a rare interview over email, she denounced the suspicions as baseless, including the allegations that several of her colleagues may have been ill before the outbreak emerged.

The speculation boils down to one central question: Did Shi’s lab hold any source of the new coronavirus before the pandemic erupted? Shi’s answer is an emphatic no.

But China’s refusal to allow an independent investigation into her lab, or to share data on its research, make it difficult to validate Shi’s claims and has only fueled nagging suspicions about how the pandemic could have taken hold in the same city that hosts an institute known for its work on bat coronaviruses.

Those in favor of the natural origins hypothesis, though, have pointed to Wuhan’s role as a major transportation hub as well as a recent study that showed that just before the pandemic hit, the city’s markets were selling many animal species capable of harboring dangerous pathogens that could jump to humans.

The Chinese government has given no appearance of holding Shi under suspicion. Despite the international scrutiny, she seems to have been able to continue her research and give lectures in China.

The stakes in this debate extend into how scientists study infectious diseases. Some scientists have cited the lab leak scenario in pushing for greater scrutiny of “gain of function” experiments that, broadly defined, are intended to make pathogens more powerful to better understand their behaviour and risks.

Many scientists say they want the hunt for the virus’ origins to transcend politics, borders and individual scientific achievements.

“This has nothing to do with fault or guilt,” said David Relman, a microbiologist at Stanford University and co-author of a recent letter in the journal Science, signed by 18 scientists, that called for a transparent investigation into all viable scenarios, including a lab leak.

The letter urged labs and health agencies to open their records to the public.

“It’s just bigger than anyone scientist or institute or any one country — anybody anywhere who has data of this sort needs to put it out there,” Relman said.

‘Transparency matters.’

Many virologists maintain that the coronavirus most likely jumped from an animal to a human in a setting outside a lab. But without direct proof of a natural spillover, more scientists and politicians have called for a full investigation into the lab leak theory.

Proponents of a lab investigation say that researchers at Shi’s institute could have collected — or contracted — the new coronavirus from the wild, such as in a bat cave. Or the scientists may have created it, by accident or by design. Either way, the virus could then have leaked from the laboratory, perhaps by infecting a worker.

China has sought to influence investigations into the virus’ origin, while promoting its own unproven allegations.

Beijing agreed to allow a team of World Health Organization experts to visit China but limited their access. When the WHO team said in a report in March that a lab leak was extremely unlikely, its conclusion was seen as hasty. Even the head of the WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said: “I do not believe that this assessment was extensive enough.”

Last month, President Joe Biden ordered intelligence agencies to investigate the origin question, including the lab theory. On Sunday, the leaders of the world’s wealthiest large democracies, at the Group of 7 summit, urged China to be part of a new investigation into the origins of the coronavirus. Biden told reporters that he and other leaders had discussed access to labs in China.

“Transparency matters across the board,” Biden said.

‘Scientists have a motherland.’

In less polarized times, Shi was a symbol of China’s scientific progress, the “Bat Woman” at the forefront of research into emerging viruses.

She led expeditions into caves to collect samples from bats and guano, to learn how viruses jump from animals to humans. In 2019, she was among 109 scientists elected to the American Academy of Microbiology for her contributions to the field.

“She’s a stellar scientist — extremely careful, with a rigorous work ethic,” said Dr. Robert C. Gallo, director of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

The Wuhan Institute of Virology employs nearly 300 people and is home to one of only two Chinese labs that have been given the highest security designation, Biosafety Level 4. Shi leads the institute’s work on emerging infectious diseases, and over the years, her group has collected over 10,000 bat samples from around China.

Under China’s centralized approach to scientific research, the institute answers to the Communist Party, which wants scientists to serve national goals.

“Science has no borders, but scientists have a motherland,” Xi Jinping, the country’s leader, said in a speech to scientists last year.

Shi herself, though, does not belong to the Communist Party, according to official Chinese media reports, which is unusual for state employees of her status. She built her career at the institute, starting as a research assistant in 1990 and working her way up the ranks.

Shi, 57, obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Montpellier in France in 2000 and started studying bats in 2004 after the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, which killed more than 700 people around the world. In 2011, she made a breakthrough when she found bats in a cave in southwestern China that carried coronaviruses that were similar to the virus that causes SARS.

“In all the work we do, if just once you can prevent the outbreak of an illness, then what we’ve done will be very meaningful,” she told CCTV, China’s state broadcaster, in 2017.

But some of her most notable findings have since drawn the heaviest scrutiny. In recent years, Shi began experimenting on bat coronaviruses by genetically modifying them to see how they behave.

In 2017, she and her colleagues at the Wuhan lab published a paper about an experiment in which they created new hybrid bat coronaviruses by mixing and matching parts of several existing ones — including at least one that was nearly transmissible to humans — in order to study their ability to infect and replicate in human cells.

Proponents of this type of research say it helps society prepare for future outbreaks. Critics say the risks of creating dangerous new pathogens may outweigh potential benefits.

The picture has been complicated by new questions about whether U.S. government funding that went to Shi’s work supported controversial gain-of-function research. The Wuhan institute received around $600,000 in grant money from the U.S. government, through an American nonprofit called EcoHealth Alliance. The National Institutes of Health said it had not approved funding for the nonprofit to conduct gain-of-function research on coronaviruses that would have made them more infectious or lethal.

Shi, in an emailed response to questions, argued that her experiments differed from gain-of-function work because she did not set out to make a virus more dangerous but to understand how it might jump across species.

“My lab has never conducted or cooperated in conducting GOF experiments that enhance the virulence of viruses,” she said.

‘Speculation rooted in utter distrust.’

Concerns have centred not only on what experiments Shi conducted but also on the conditions under which she did them.

Some of Shi’s experiments on bat viruses were done in Biosafety Level 2 labs, where security is lower than in other labs at the institute. That has raised questions about whether a dangerous pathogen could have slipped out.

Ralph Baric, a University of North Carolina expert in coronaviruses who signed the open letter in Science, said that although a natural origin of the virus was likely, he supported a review of what level of biosafety precautions were taken in studying bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan institute. Baric conducted NIH-approved gain-of-function research at his lab using the information on viral genetic sequences provided by Shi.

Shi said that bat viruses in China could be studied in BSL-2 labs because there was no evidence that they directly infected humans, a view supported by some other scientists.

She also rejected recent reports that three researchers from her institute had sought treatment at a hospital in November 2019 for flulike symptoms, before the first COVID-19 cases were reported.

“The Wuhan Institute of Virology has not come across such cases,” she wrote. “If possible, can you provide the names of the three to help us check?”

As for samples that the lab held, Shi has maintained that the closest bat virus she had in her lab, which she shared publicly, was only 96% identical to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 — a vast difference by genomic standards. She rejects speculation that her lab had worked on other viruses in secret.

Shi’s research on a group of miners in Yunnan province who suffered severe respiratory disease in 2012 has also drawn questions. The miners had worked in the same cave where Shi’s team later discovered the bat virus that is close to SARS-CoV-2. Shi said that her lab did not detect bat SARS-like coronaviruses in the miners’ samples and that she would publish more details in a scientific journal soon; her critics say she has withheld information.

“This issue is too important not to come forward with everything you have and in a timely and transparent manner,” said Alina Chan, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard who also signed the Science letter.

Many scientists and officials say China should share employees’ medical records and the lab’s logs of its experiments and its viral sequence database to evaluate Shi’s claims.

Shi said she and the institute had been open with the WHO and with the global scientific community.

“This is no longer a question of science,” she said on the phone. “It is speculation rooted in utter distrust.”

‘I have nothing to fear.’

The pandemic was a moment that Shi and her team had long braced for. For years, she had warned of the risks of a coronavirus outbreak, building up a stock of knowledge about these pathogens.

In January 2020, as Shi and her team worked frantically, they were exhausted but also excited, said Wang Linfa, a virologist at the Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School who was in Wuhan with Shi at the time.

“All the experiences, reagents and the bat samples in the freezer were finally being used in a significant way globally,” said Wang, Shi’s collaborator and friend for 17 years.

Shi published some of the most important early papers on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, which scientists around the world have relied on.

But soon, the speculation about Shi and her lab began to swirl. Shi, who is known among friends for being blunt, was baffled and angry — and sometimes let it show.

In an interview with Science magazine in July, she said that Trump owed her an apology for claiming the virus came from her lab. On social media, she said people who raised similar questions should “shut your stinky mouths.”

Shi said what she saw as the politicization of the question had sapped her of any enthusiasm for investigating the origins of the virus. She has instead focused on COVID vaccines and the features of the new virus, and over time, she said, has calmed down.

“I’m sure that I did nothing wrong,” she wrote. “So I have nothing to fear.”

To a growing chorus of U.S. politicians and scientists, she is the key to whether the world will ever learn if the virus behind the devastating COVID-19 pandemic escaped from a Chinese lab.

To a growing chorus of U.S. politicians and scientists, she is the key to whether the world will ever learn if the virus behind the devastating COVID-19 pandemic escaped from a Chinese lab. To the Chinese government and public, she is a hero of the country’s success in curbing the epidemic and a victim of malicious conspiracy theories. Shi Zhengli, a top Chinese virologist, is once again at the centre of clashing narratives about her research on coronaviruses at a state lab in Wuhan, the city where the pandemic first emerged. The idea that the virus may have escaped from a lab had long been widely dismissed by scientists as implausible and shunned by others for its connection with former President Donald Trump. But fresh scrutiny from the Biden administration and calls for greater candour from prominent scientists have brought the theory back to the fore. Scientists generally agree that there is still no direct evidence to support the lab leak theory. But more of them now say that the hypothesis was dismissed too hastily, without a thorough investigation, and they point to a range of unsettling questions. Some scientists say Shi conducted risky experiments with bat coronaviruses in labs that were not safe enough. Others want clarity on reports, citing U.S. intelligence, suggesting that there were early infections of COVID-19 among several employees of the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Shi has denied these accusations and now finds herself defending the reputation of her lab and, by extension, that of her country. Reached on her cellphone last week, Shi said at first that she preferred not to speak directly with reporters, citing her institute’s policies. Yet she could barely contain her frustration. “How on earth can I offer up evidence for something where there is no evidence?” she said, her voice rising in anger during the brief, unscheduled conversation. “I don’t know how the world has come to this, constantly pouring filth on an innocent scientist,” she wrote in a text message. In a rare interview over email, she denounced the suspicions as baseless, including the allegations that several of her colleagues may have been ill before the outbreak emerged. The speculation boils down to one central question: Did Shi’s lab hold any source of the new coronavirus before the pandemic erupted? Shi’s answer is an emphatic no. But China’s refusal to allow an independent investigation into her lab, or to share data on its research, make it difficult to validate Shi’s claims and has only fueled nagging suspicions about how the pandemic could have taken hold in the same city that hosts an institute known for its work on bat coronaviruses. Those in favor of the natural origins hypothesis, though, have pointed to Wuhan’s role as a major transportation hub as well as a recent study that showed that just before the pandemic hit, the city’s markets were selling many animal species capable of harboring dangerous pathogens that could jump to humans. The Chinese government has given no appearance of holding Shi under suspicion. Despite the international scrutiny, she seems to have been able to continue her research and give lectures in China. The stakes in this debate extend into how scientists study infectious diseases. Some scientists have cited the lab leak scenario in pushing for greater scrutiny of “gain of function” experiments that, broadly defined, are intended to make pathogens more powerful to better understand their behaviour and risks. Many scientists say they want the hunt for the virus’ origins to transcend politics, borders and individual scientific achievements. “This has nothing to do with fault or guilt,” said David Relman, a microbiologist at Stanford University and co-author of a recent letter in the journal Science, signed by 18 scientists, that called for a transparent investigation into all viable scenarios, including a lab leak. The letter urged labs and health agencies to open their records to the public. “It’s just bigger than anyone scientist or institute or any one country — anybody anywhere who has data of this sort needs to put it out there,” Relman said. ‘Transparency matters.’ Many virologists maintain that the coronavirus most likely jumped from an animal to a human in a setting outside a lab. But without direct proof of a natural spillover, more scientists and politicians have called for a full investigation into the lab leak theory. Proponents of a lab investigation say that researchers at Shi’s institute could have collected — or contracted — the new coronavirus from the wild, such as in a bat cave. Or the scientists may have created it, by accident or by design. Either way, the virus could then have leaked from the laboratory, perhaps by infecting a worker. China has sought to influence investigations into the virus’ origin, while promoting its own unproven allegations. Beijing agreed to allow a team of World Health Organization experts to visit China but limited their access. When the WHO team said in a report in March that a lab leak was extremely unlikely, its conclusion was seen as hasty. Even the head of the WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said: “I do not believe that this assessment was extensive enough.” Last month, President Joe Biden ordered intelligence agencies to investigate the origin question, including the lab theory. On Sunday, the leaders of the world’s wealthiest large democracies, at the Group of 7 summit, urged China to be part of a new investigation into the origins of the coronavirus. Biden told reporters that he and other leaders had discussed access to labs in China. “Transparency matters across the board,” Biden said. ‘Scientists have a motherland.’ In less polarized times, Shi was a symbol of China’s scientific progress, the “Bat Woman” at the forefront of research into emerging viruses. She led expeditions into caves to collect samples from bats and guano, to learn how viruses jump from animals to humans. In 2019, she was among 109 scientists elected to the American Academy of Microbiology for her contributions to the field. “She’s a stellar scientist — extremely careful, with a rigorous work ethic,” said Dr. Robert C. Gallo, director of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The Wuhan Institute of Virology employs nearly 300 people and is home to one of only two Chinese labs that have been given the highest security designation, Biosafety Level 4. Shi leads the institute’s work on emerging infectious diseases, and over the years, her group has collected over 10,000 bat samples from around China. Under China’s centralized approach to scientific research, the institute answers to the Communist Party, which wants scientists to serve national goals. “Science has no borders, but scientists have a motherland,” Xi Jinping, the country’s leader, said in a speech to scientists last year. Shi herself, though, does not belong to the Communist Party, according to official Chinese media reports, which is unusual for state employees of her status. She built her career at the institute, starting as a research assistant in 1990 and working her way up the ranks. Shi, 57, obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Montpellier in France in 2000 and started studying bats in 2004 after the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, which killed more than 700 people around the world. In 2011, she made a breakthrough when she found bats in a cave in southwestern China that carried coronaviruses that were similar to the virus that causes SARS. “In all the work we do, if just once you can prevent the outbreak of an illness, then what we’ve done will be very meaningful,” she told CCTV, China’s state broadcaster, in 2017. But some of her most notable findings have since drawn the heaviest scrutiny. In recent years, Shi began experimenting on bat coronaviruses by genetically modifying them to see how they behave. In 2017, she and her colleagues at the Wuhan lab published a paper about an experiment in which they created new hybrid bat coronaviruses by mixing and matching parts of several existing ones — including at least one that was nearly transmissible to humans — in order to study their ability to infect and replicate in human cells. Proponents of this type of research say it helps society prepare for future outbreaks. Critics say the risks of creating dangerous new pathogens may outweigh potential benefits. The picture has been complicated by new questions about whether U.S. government funding that went to Shi’s work supported controversial gain-of-function research. The Wuhan institute received around $600,000 in grant money from the U.S. government, through an American nonprofit called EcoHealth Alliance. The National Institutes of Health said it had not approved funding for the nonprofit to conduct gain-of-function research on coronaviruses that would have made them more infectious or lethal. Shi, in an emailed response to questions, argued that her experiments differed from gain-of-function work because she did not set out to make a virus more dangerous but to understand how it might jump across species. “My lab has never conducted or cooperated in conducting GOF experiments that enhance the virulence of viruses,” she said. ‘Speculation rooted in utter distrust.’ Concerns have centred not only on what experiments Shi conducted but also on the conditions under which she did them. Some of Shi’s experiments on bat viruses were done in Biosafety Level 2 labs, where security is lower than in other labs at the institute. That has raised questions about whether a dangerous pathogen could have slipped out. Ralph Baric, a University of North Carolina expert in coronaviruses who signed the open letter in Science, said that although a natural origin of the virus was likely, he supported a review of what level of biosafety precautions were taken in studying bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan institute. Baric conducted NIH-approved gain-of-function research at his lab using the information on viral genetic sequences provided by Shi. Shi said that bat viruses in China could be studied in BSL-2 labs because there was no evidence that they directly infected humans, a view supported by some other scientists. She also rejected recent reports that three researchers from her institute had sought treatment at a hospital in November 2019 for flulike symptoms, before the first COVID-19 cases were reported. “The Wuhan Institute of Virology has not come across such cases,” she wrote. “If possible, can you provide the names of the three to help us check?” As for samples that the lab held, Shi has maintained that the closest bat virus she had in her lab, which she shared publicly, was only 96% identical to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 — a vast difference by genomic standards. She rejects speculation that her lab had worked on other viruses in secret. Shi’s research on a group of miners in Yunnan province who suffered severe respiratory disease in 2012 has also drawn questions. The miners had worked in the same cave where Shi’s team later discovered the bat virus that is close to SARS-CoV-2. Shi said that her lab did not detect bat SARS-like coronaviruses in the miners’ samples and that she would publish more details in a scientific journal soon; her critics say she has withheld information. “This issue is too important not to come forward with everything you have and in a timely and transparent manner,” said Alina Chan, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard who also signed the Science letter. Many scientists and officials say China should share employees’ medical records and the lab’s logs of its experiments and its viral sequence database to evaluate Shi’s claims. Shi said she and the institute had been open with the WHO and with the global scientific community. “This is no longer a question of science,” she said on the phone. “It is speculation rooted in utter distrust.” ‘I have nothing to fear.’ The pandemic was a moment that Shi and her team had long braced for. For years, she had warned of the risks of a coronavirus outbreak, building up a stock of knowledge about these pathogens. In January 2020, as Shi and her team worked frantically, they were exhausted but also excited, said Wang Linfa, a virologist at the Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School who was in Wuhan with Shi at the time. “All the experiences, reagents and the bat samples in the freezer were finally being used in a significant way globally,” said Wang, Shi’s collaborator and friend for 17 years. Shi published some of the most important early papers on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, which scientists around the world have relied on. But soon, the speculation about Shi and her lab began to swirl. Shi, who is known among friends for being blunt, was baffled and angry — and sometimes let it show. In an interview with Science magazine in July, she said that Trump owed her an apology for claiming the virus came from her lab. On social media, she said people who raised similar questions should “shut your stinky mouths.” Shi said what she saw as the politicization of the question had sapped her of any enthusiasm for investigating the origins of the virus. She has instead focused on COVID vaccines and the features of the new virus, and over time, she said, has calmed down. “I’m sure that I did nothing wrong,” she wrote. “So I have nothing to fear.”

China’s ‘bat woman,’ at the center of a pandemic storm, speaks out

Samples from a study suggesting the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus?page=1">coronavirus</a> was circulating outside China by October 2019 have been re-tested at the World Health Organization's (WHO) request, two scientists who led the Italian research said.

There is growing international pressure to learn more about the origins of the pandemic that has killed more than three million people worldwide and US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a> last week ordered his aides to find answers.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/israel-sees-probable-link-between-pfizer-vaccine-and-myocarditis-cases-388872" hreflang="en">Israel sees probable link between Pfizer vaccine and myocarditis cases</a>

The WHO said on Friday experts were preparing a proposal on the next studies to be carried out into the origins of the virus, but that there was no set timeline.

The UN body reacted to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/president-biden-orders-us-intelligence-to-redouble-efforts-to-collect-information-on-covid-19-origin-387626">Biden's announcement that intelligence agencies were pursuing rival theories</a>, including the possibility of a laboratory accident in China, by saying the search was being "poisoned by politics".&nbsp;

COVID-19 was first identified in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, while Italy's first patient was detected on February 21 last year in a small town near Milan.

However, a study published last year suggested antibodies to either the virus or a variant were detected in Italy in 2019.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-covid-19-origins-was-the-virus-manipulated-in-a-lab-388674">WATCH |</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-covid-19-origins-was-the-virus-manipulated-in-a-lab-388674/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

That prompted Chinese state media to suggest the virus might not have originated in China, although the Italian researchers stressed the findings raised questions about when the virus first emerged rather than where.

"The WHO asked us if we could share the biological material and if we could re-run the tests in an independent laboratory. We accepted," Giovanni Apolone, scientific director of one of the lead institutions, the Milan Cancer Institute (INT), said.

The WHO's request has not previously been reported.

"WHO is in contact with the researchers that had published the original paper. A collaboration with partner laboratories has been set up for further testing," a WHO spokesman said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/fresh-covid-19-outbreak-rattles-china-cluster-grows-in-guangzhou-388878">Fresh COVID-19 outbreak rattles China, cluster grows in Guangzhou</a>

The spokesman said the WHO was aware that the researchers are planning to publish a follow-up report "in the near future".

He said the UN agency has contacted all researchers who have published or provided information on samples collected in 2019 that were reported to have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, but does not yet have the final interpretation of the results.

The Italian researchers' findings, published by the INT's scientific magazine Tumori Journal, showed neutralising antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in blood taken from healthy volunteers in Italy in October 2019 during a lung cancer screening trial.

Most of the volunteers were from Lombardy, the northern region around Milan, which was the first and hardest hit by the virus in Italy.

"None of the studies published so far have ever questioned the geographical origin," Apolone told Reuters.

"The growing doubt is that the virus, probably less powerful compared to later months, was circulating in China long before the reported cases," Apolone added.

Dutch test

The WHO chose the laboratory of the Erasmus University in Rotterdam for the re-test, Emanuele Montomoli, co-author of the original study and professor of Public Health at the Molecular Medicine Department in the University of Siena, said.

The Erasmus University did not reply to requests for comment.

Italian researchers sent the team in Rotterdam 30 biological samples from October-December 2019 that they had found positive, 30 samples from the same period they had tested negative and 30 samples from as far back as 2018, negative.

"We sent them blind, that means our colleagues did not know which samples were positive and which negative," Apolone said.

"They rechecked our samples with commercial tests, which are much less sensitive than the ones we devised and validated," Montomoli said.

Despite the differences in the two detection methods, both Italian scientists said they were satisfied with the results, delivered to them in late February, adding that they could not comment further until the team of Italian and Dutch scientists have published their findings.

"We did not say in our study that we could establish without a doubt that the coronavirus, later sequenced in Wuhan, was already circulating in Italy in October," Montomoli said.

"We only found the response to the virus, namely the antibodies. So we can say that this coronavirus or a very similar one, perhaps a less transmissible variant, was circulating here in October," he added.

Samples from a study suggesting the coronavirus was circulating outside China by October 2019 have been re-tested at the World Health Organization's (WHO) request, two scientists who led the Italian research said.

Samples from a study suggesting the coronavirus was circulating outside China by October 2019 have been re-tested at the World Health Organization's (WHO) request, two scientists who led the Italian research said. There is growing international pressure to learn more about the origins of the pandemic that has killed more than three million people worldwide and US President Joe Biden last week ordered his aides to find answers. Also read | Israel sees probable link between Pfizer vaccine and myocarditis cases The WHO said on Friday experts were preparing a proposal on the next studies to be carried out into the origins of the virus, but that there was no set timeline. The UN body reacted to Biden's announcement that intelligence agencies were pursuing rival theories, including the possibility of a laboratory accident in China, by saying the search was being "poisoned by politics". COVID-19 was first identified in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, while Italy's first patient was detected on February 21 last year in a small town near Milan. However, a study published last year suggested antibodies to either the virus or a variant were detected in Italy in 2019. WATCH | That prompted Chinese state media to suggest the virus might not have originated in China, although the Italian researchers stressed the findings raised questions about when the virus first emerged rather than where. "The WHO asked us if we could share the biological material and if we could re-run the tests in an independent laboratory. We accepted," Giovanni Apolone, scientific director of one of the lead institutions, the Milan Cancer Institute (INT), said. The WHO's request has not previously been reported. "WHO is in contact with the researchers that had published the original paper. A collaboration with partner laboratories has been set up for further testing," a WHO spokesman said. Also read | Fresh COVID-19 outbreak rattles China, cluster grows in Guangzhou The spokesman said the WHO was aware that the researchers are planning to publish a follow-up report "in the near future". He said the UN agency has contacted all researchers who have published or provided information on samples collected in 2019 that were reported to have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, but does not yet have the final interpretation of the results. The Italian researchers' findings, published by the INT's scientific magazine Tumori Journal, showed neutralising antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in blood taken from healthy volunteers in Italy in October 2019 during a lung cancer screening trial. Most of the volunteers were from Lombardy, the northern region around Milan, which was the first and hardest hit by the virus in Italy. "None of the studies published so far have ever questioned the geographical origin," Apolone told Reuters. "The growing doubt is that the virus, probably less powerful compared to later months, was circulating in China long before the reported cases," Apolone added. Dutch test The WHO chose the laboratory of the Erasmus University in Rotterdam for the re-test, Emanuele Montomoli, co-author of the original study and professor of Public Health at the Molecular Medicine Department in the University of Siena, said. The Erasmus University did not reply to requests for comment. Italian researchers sent the team in Rotterdam 30 biological samples from October-December 2019 that they had found positive, 30 samples from the same period they had tested negative and 30 samples from as far back as 2018, negative. "We sent them blind, that means our colleagues did not know which samples were positive and which negative," Apolone said. "They rechecked our samples with commercial tests, which are much less sensitive than the ones we devised and validated," Montomoli said. Despite the differences in the two detection methods, both Italian scientists said they were satisfied with the results, delivered to them in late February, adding that they could not comment further until the team of Italian and Dutch scientists have published their findings. "We did not say in our study that we could establish without a doubt that the coronavirus, later sequenced in Wuhan, was already circulating in Italy in October," Montomoli said. "We only found the response to the virus, namely the antibodies. So we can say that this coronavirus or a very similar one, perhaps a less transmissible variant, was circulating here in October," he added.

WHO asks for re-checks of research on when coronavirus first surfaced in Italy

The World Health Organisation will start COVID-19 vaccinations next week in north Yemen where the Houthi authorities in control have played down the impact of the pandemic, largely denying any outbreak there. 
 
Inoculations in parts of the Arabian Peninsula country run by Yemen`s Saudi-backed government began seven weeks ago, giving a boost to a healthcare system shattered by war, economic collapse and, recently, a shortfall in humanitarian aid funding. 
 
Houthi authorities, who control the capital Sanaa and most major urban areas in Yemen`s six-year conflict, have provided no coronavirus infection or fatality figures since a couple of cases in May 2020. But numbers of confirmed cases in the rest of Yemen started to rise rapidly in mid-February. 
 
The WHO`s representative in Yemen, Adham Abdel-Moneim, said 10,000 vaccine doses arrived at Sanaa airport on Monday and were put into cold storage. 
 
Only healthcare workers would be given the shots at this stage, beginning next week, at the health ministry in Sanaa "under the control and management of the WHO", he told Reuters on Tuesday. 
 
Yemen`s COVID-19 vaccination campaign began in government-held areas on April 20, using a first shipment of 360,000 doses of AstraZeneca`s vaccine from the global COVAX vaccine-sharing scheme. 
 
A batch of 10,000 of those doses intended for Houthi-run areas had been caught up in wrangling between parties over how it would be administered, according to humanitarian aid sources and Yemeni officials. 
 
The emergency coronavirus committee of the internationally recognised government, based in south Yemen, has recorded 6,742 coronavirus infections and 1,321 deaths so far, although the true figure is widely thought to be much higher as the war has restricted COVID-19 testing and reporting. 
 
Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday Houthi authorities have suppressed information about COVID-19 and undermined international efforts to provide vaccines in areas under their control. 
 
"Since the start of the pandemic in Yemen in April 2020, Houthi officials have actively spread disinformation about the virus and vaccines," the rights group said in a report. 
 
The Iran-aligned Houthi movement ousted the Saudi-backed Yemeni government from the capital Sanaa in late 2014.

The World Health Organisation will start COVID-19 vaccinations next week in north Yemen where the Houthi authorities in control have played down the impact of the pandemic, largely denying any outbreak there.

The World Health Organisation will start COVID-19 vaccinations next week in north Yemen where the Houthi authorities in control have played down the impact of the pandemic, largely denying any outbreak there. Inoculations in parts of the Arabian Peninsula country run by Yemen`s Saudi-backed government began seven weeks ago, giving a boost to a healthcare system shattered by war, economic collapse and, recently, a shortfall in humanitarian aid funding. Houthi authorities, who control the capital Sanaa and most major urban areas in Yemen`s six-year conflict, have provided no coronavirus infection or fatality figures since a couple of cases in May 2020. But numbers of confirmed cases in the rest of Yemen started to rise rapidly in mid-February. The WHO`s representative in Yemen, Adham Abdel-Moneim, said 10,000 vaccine doses arrived at Sanaa airport on Monday and were put into cold storage. Only healthcare workers would be given the shots at this stage, beginning next week, at the health ministry in Sanaa "under the control and management of the WHO", he told Reuters on Tuesday. Yemen`s COVID-19 vaccination campaign began in government-held areas on April 20, using a first shipment of 360,000 doses of AstraZeneca`s vaccine from the global COVAX vaccine-sharing scheme. A batch of 10,000 of those doses intended for Houthi-run areas had been caught up in wrangling between parties over how it would be administered, according to humanitarian aid sources and Yemeni officials. The emergency coronavirus committee of the internationally recognised government, based in south Yemen, has recorded 6,742 coronavirus infections and 1,321 deaths so far, although the true figure is widely thought to be much higher as the war has restricted COVID-19 testing and reporting. Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday Houthi authorities have suppressed information about COVID-19 and undermined international efforts to provide vaccines in areas under their control. "Since the start of the pandemic in Yemen in April 2020, Houthi officials have actively spread disinformation about the virus and vaccines," the rights group said in a report. The Iran-aligned Houthi movement ousted the Saudi-backed Yemeni government from the capital Sanaa in late 2014.

WHO to start COVID-19 vaccination in Houthi-run north Yemen

Samples from a study suggesting the coronavirus was circulating outside China by October 2019 have been re-tested at the World Health Organization`s (WTO) request, two scientists who led the Italian research said. 
 
There is growing international pressure to learn more about the origins of the pandemic that has killed more than 3 million people worldwide and US&nbsp;President Joe Biden last week ordered his aides to find answers. 
 
The WHO reacted to Biden`s announcement that intelligence agencies were pursuing rival theories, including the possibility of a laboratory accident in China, by saying the search was being "poisoned by politics". 
 
COVID-19 was first identified in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, while Italy`s first patient was detected on Feb. 21 last year in a small town near Milan. 
 
However, a study published last year suggested antibodies to either the virus or a variant were detected in Italy in 2019. 
 
That prompted Chinese state media to suggest the virus might not have originated in China, although the Italian researchers stressed the findings raised questions about when the virus first emerged rather than where. 
 
"The WHO asked us if we could share the biological material and if we could re-run the tests in an independent laboratory. We accepted," Giovanni Apolone, scientific director of one of the lead institutions, the Milan Cancer Institute (INT), said. 
 
The WHO`s request has not previously been reported. 
 
"WHO is in contact with the researchers that had published the original paper. A collaboration with partner laboratories has been set up for further testing," a WHO spokesman said. 
 
The spokesman said the WHO was aware that the researchers are planning to publish a follow-up report "in the near future". 
 
He said the UN agency has contacted all researchers who have published or provided information on samples collected in 2019 that were reported to have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, but does not yet have the final interpretation of the results. 
 
The Italian researchers` findings, published by the INT`s scientific magazine Tumori Journal, showed neutralising antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in blood taken from healthy volunteers in Italy in October 2019 during a lung cancer screening trial. 
 
Most of the volunteers were from Lombardy, the northern region around Milan, which was the first and hardest hit by the virus in Italy. 
 
"None of the studies published so far have ever questioned the geographical origin," Apolone told Reuters. 
 
"The growing doubt is that the virus, probably less powerful compared to later months, was circulating in China long before the reported cases," Apolone added. 
 
DUTCH TEST 
 
The WHO chose the laboratory of the Erasmus University in Rotterdam for the re-test, Emanuele Montomoli, co-author of the original study and professor of Public Health at the Molecular Medicine Department in the University of Siena, said. 
 
The Erasmus University did not reply to requests for comment. 
 
Italian researchers sent the team in Rotterdam 30 biological samples from October-December 2019 that they had found positive, 30 samples from the same period they had tested negative and 30 samples from as far back as 2018, negative. 
 
"We sent them blind, that means our colleagues did not know which samples were positive and which negative," Apolone said. 
 
"They rechecked our samples with commercial tests, which are much less sensitive than the ones we devised and validated," Montomoli said. 
 
Despite the differences in the two detection methods, both Italian scientists said they were satisfied with the results, delivered to them in late February, adding that they could not comment further until the team of Italian and Dutch scientists have published their findings. 
 
"We did not say in our study that we could establish without a doubt that the coronavirus, later sequenced in Wuhan, was already circulating in Italy in October," Montomoli said. 
 
"We only found the response to the virus, namely the antibodies. So we can say that this coronavirus or a very similar one, perhaps a less transmissible variant, was circulating here in October," he added.

Samples from a study suggesting the coronavirus was circulating outside China by October 2019 have been re-tested at the World Health Organization`s (WTO) request, two scientists who led the Italian research said.

Samples from a study suggesting the coronavirus was circulating outside China by October 2019 have been re-tested at the World Health Organization`s (WTO) request, two scientists who led the Italian research said. There is growing international pressure to learn more about the origins of the pandemic that has killed more than 3 million people worldwide and US President Joe Biden last week ordered his aides to find answers. The WHO reacted to Biden`s announcement that intelligence agencies were pursuing rival theories, including the possibility of a laboratory accident in China, by saying the search was being "poisoned by politics". COVID-19 was first identified in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, while Italy`s first patient was detected on Feb. 21 last year in a small town near Milan. However, a study published last year suggested antibodies to either the virus or a variant were detected in Italy in 2019. That prompted Chinese state media to suggest the virus might not have originated in China, although the Italian researchers stressed the findings raised questions about when the virus first emerged rather than where. "The WHO asked us if we could share the biological material and if we could re-run the tests in an independent laboratory. We accepted," Giovanni Apolone, scientific director of one of the lead institutions, the Milan Cancer Institute (INT), said. The WHO`s request has not previously been reported. "WHO is in contact with the researchers that had published the original paper. A collaboration with partner laboratories has been set up for further testing," a WHO spokesman said. The spokesman said the WHO was aware that the researchers are planning to publish a follow-up report "in the near future". He said the UN agency has contacted all researchers who have published or provided information on samples collected in 2019 that were reported to have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, but does not yet have the final interpretation of the results. The Italian researchers` findings, published by the INT`s scientific magazine Tumori Journal, showed neutralising antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in blood taken from healthy volunteers in Italy in October 2019 during a lung cancer screening trial. Most of the volunteers were from Lombardy, the northern region around Milan, which was the first and hardest hit by the virus in Italy. "None of the studies published so far have ever questioned the geographical origin," Apolone told Reuters. "The growing doubt is that the virus, probably less powerful compared to later months, was circulating in China long before the reported cases," Apolone added. DUTCH TEST The WHO chose the laboratory of the Erasmus University in Rotterdam for the re-test, Emanuele Montomoli, co-author of the original study and professor of Public Health at the Molecular Medicine Department in the University of Siena, said. The Erasmus University did not reply to requests for comment. Italian researchers sent the team in Rotterdam 30 biological samples from October-December 2019 that they had found positive, 30 samples from the same period they had tested negative and 30 samples from as far back as 2018, negative. "We sent them blind, that means our colleagues did not know which samples were positive and which negative," Apolone said. "They rechecked our samples with commercial tests, which are much less sensitive than the ones we devised and validated," Montomoli said. Despite the differences in the two detection methods, both Italian scientists said they were satisfied with the results, delivered to them in late February, adding that they could not comment further until the team of Italian and Dutch scientists have published their findings. "We did not say in our study that we could establish without a doubt that the coronavirus, later sequenced in Wuhan, was already circulating in Italy in October," Montomoli said. "We only found the response to the virus, namely the antibodies. So we can say that this coronavirus or a very similar one, perhaps a less transmissible variant, was circulating here in October," he added.

WHO re-checks research on when coronavirus first surfaced in Italy

The World Health Organization called on Friday for access to patients in the Gaza strip and the possibility to be able to evacuate them for medical treatment as health workers struggle to care for the sick and wounded after 11 days of violence.

WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib told a Geneva briefing that around 600 patients, including some with chronic conditions, needed to be referred outside of the Palestinian enclave since hostilities began earlier this month, but had been unable to due to crossing closures.

Dozens of health centres were damaged during Israeli bombings earlier this month, prompting the WHO to warn that facilities risked being overwhelmed.

Before a truce took hold last Friday, Israeli air strikes and artillery fire on&nbsp;Gaza&nbsp;killed 253 Palestinians, including 66 children, and wounded more than 1,900 people in 11 days of conflict, the health ministry in&nbsp;Gaza&nbsp;says.&nbsp;

Rocket and other fire from&nbsp;Gaza&nbsp;claimed 12 lives in Israel, including one child and an Arab-Israeli teenager, medics say. Some 357 people in Israel were wounded.

The Israeli bombardment of&nbsp;Gaza&nbsp;has ravaged homes and businesses as well as key power and water networks in the already impoverished enclave, which has been under Israeli blockade since 2007.

Some 258 buildings, comprising 1,042 housing and commercial units, have been completely destroyed, authorities in&nbsp;Gaza&nbsp;say, while the United Nations says at least 6,000 people have been made homeless.

The UN says it has released millions of dollars for its humanitarian response and other countries such as Qatar, Egypt and the United States have pledged millions more in aid.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

The World Health Organization called on Friday for access to patients in the Gaza strip and the possibility to be able to evacuate them for medical treatment as health workers struggle to care for the sick and wounded after 11 days of violence.

The World Health Organization called on Friday for access to patients in the Gaza strip and the possibility to be able to evacuate them for medical treatment as health workers struggle to care for the sick and wounded after 11 days of violence. WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib told a Geneva briefing that around 600 patients, including some with chronic conditions, needed to be referred outside of the Palestinian enclave since hostilities began earlier this month, but had been unable to due to crossing closures. Dozens of health centres were damaged during Israeli bombings earlier this month, prompting the WHO to warn that facilities risked being overwhelmed. Before a truce took hold last Friday, Israeli air strikes and artillery fire on Gaza killed 253 Palestinians, including 66 children, and wounded more than 1,900 people in 11 days of conflict, the health ministry in Gaza says. Rocket and other fire from Gaza claimed 12 lives in Israel, including one child and an Arab-Israeli teenager, medics say. Some 357 people in Israel were wounded. The Israeli bombardment of Gaza has ravaged homes and businesses as well as key power and water networks in the already impoverished enclave, which has been under Israeli blockade since 2007. Some 258 buildings, comprising 1,042 housing and commercial units, have been completely destroyed, authorities in Gaza say, while the United Nations says at least 6,000 people have been made homeless. The UN says it has released millions of dollars for its humanitarian response and other countries such as Qatar, Egypt and the United States have pledged millions more in aid. (With inputs from agencies)

World Health Organization calls for access to patients in Gaza strip

The B.1.617 variant&nbsp;of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">coronavirus</a>, which was first detected by India’s health experts, has now been reported in 53 territories, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Wednesday.

As per unofficial data procured by sources of the WHO, the B.1.617 variant has also been reported in seven other territories, which would take the toll to 60.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/countries-suffer-oxygen-shortage-amid-covid-19-crisis-387366" hreflang="en">Countries suffer oxygen shortage amid COVID-19 crisis</a>

This has also hinted that the variant has increased transmissibility and the level of severity, due to which it has also been classified as a variant of concern.

The variant has been identified as the reason behind the alarming increase in coronavirus cases that had brought a deadly second wave in India and other South Asian countries.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/half-of-adult-americans-fully-vaccinated-against-covid-19-says-white-house-387327" hreflang="en">Half of adult Americans fully vaccinated against COVID-19, says White House</a>

While the cases have now decreased in India, the danger of this variant still looms in other territories, the report claims.

"Despite a declining global trend over the past four weeks, incidence of COVID-19 cases and deaths remain high, and substantial increases have been observed in many countries throughout the world," the report read.

WHO has also advised people to not let their guards down even if there is a decline in the cases. "Virus evolution is expected, and the more SARS-CoV-2 circulates, the more opportunities it has to evolve," the report said.

"Reducing transmission through established and proven disease-control methods... are crucial aspects of the global strategy to reduce the occurrence of mutations that have negative public health implications."

The B.1.617 variant of coronavirus, which was first detected by India’s health experts, has now been reported in 53 territories, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Wednesday.

The B.1.617 variant of coronavirus, which was first detected by India’s health experts, has now been reported in 53 territories, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Wednesday. As per unofficial data procured by sources of the WHO, the B.1.617 variant has also been reported in seven other territories, which would take the toll to 60. Also read | Countries suffer oxygen shortage amid COVID-19 crisis This has also hinted that the variant has increased transmissibility and the level of severity, due to which it has also been classified as a variant of concern. The variant has been identified as the reason behind the alarming increase in coronavirus cases that had brought a deadly second wave in India and other South Asian countries. Also read | Half of adult Americans fully vaccinated against COVID-19, says White House While the cases have now decreased in India, the danger of this variant still looms in other territories, the report claims. "Despite a declining global trend over the past four weeks, incidence of COVID-19 cases and deaths remain high, and substantial increases have been observed in many countries throughout the world," the report read. WHO has also advised people to not let their guards down even if there is a decline in the cases. "Virus evolution is expected, and the more SARS-CoV-2 circulates, the more opportunities it has to evolve," the report said. "Reducing transmission through established and proven disease-control methods... are crucial aspects of the global strategy to reduce the occurrence of mutations that have negative public health implications."

COVID-19: B.1.617 variant now found in at least 53 territories: WHO

Representatives of the country at the World Health Assembly (WHA) came to a consensus to hold a special session in November to consider an international treaty on pandemic preparedness, with the goal of strengthening political commitment in the fight against the outbreak of infectious diseases.

World Health Organization endorses global 'pandemic treaty' to rebuild post-COVID-19 world

Despite international pressure, the WHO has refused to invite Taiwan to the 74th World Health Assembly. Dr. Tedros has bowed to Chinese pressure and ignored requests from the G7 and the US. Palki Sharma tells you more

Gravitas: WHO toes Chinese line and snubs Taiwan

The World Health Organization’s (WHOs) decision-making body, World Health Assembly (WHA) met for its 74th session on May 24 including delegations from all UN health agency’s member states. WION brings you what has happened so far in the session.

74th World Health Assembly: WHO chief calls for 'ground up' health security approach

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday said that global efforts to inoculate populations need to be stepped up.

World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries to ensure that 10 per cent of their populations have received vaccinations against COVID-19 by September.

Ghebreyesus called for a "massive push to vaccinate at least 10 per cent of the population of every country by September" during the health body’s main annual assembly.

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He also said that 115,000 healthcare workers succumbed to COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.

"For almost 18 months, health and care workers all over the world have stood in the breach between life and death,"&nbsp;Ghebreyesus said during the opening of the organisation's annual assembly.

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"Many have themselves become infected, and while reporting is scant, we estimate that at least 115,000 health and care workers have paid the ultimate price in the service of others”, Ghebreyesus added.

The chief of UN too, commented on the ongoing pandemic, saying that the world is “at war” against COVID-19. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the world is “at war” against coronavirus.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/taiwan-slams-whos-indifference-after-failing-to-get-into-key-meeting-386979" hreflang="en">Taiwan slams WHO's 'indifference' after failing to get into key meeting&nbsp;</a>

Guterres said that the pandemic had caused a “tsunami of suffering” in countries around the world. During the World Health Organization’s main annual assembly with member states, Guterres said that over 3.4 million have died due to the pandemic and 500 million jobs had disappeared since the pandemic began in Wuhan, China at the end of 2019. 
 
"The most vulnerable are suffering most, and I fear this is far from over," Guterres said. Guterres also urged for "a two-speed global response."

(With inputs from agencies)

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday said that global efforts to inoculate populations need to be stepped up. World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries to ensure that 10 per cent of their populations have received vaccinations against COVID-19 by September.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday said that global efforts to inoculate populations need to be stepped up. World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged countries to ensure that 10 per cent of their populations have received vaccinations against COVID-19 by September. Ghebreyesus called for a "massive push to vaccinate at least 10 per cent of the population of every country by September" during the health body’s main annual assembly. He also said that 115,000 healthcare workers succumbed to COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. "For almost 18 months, health and care workers all over the world have stood in the breach between life and death," Ghebreyesus said during the opening of the organisation's annual assembly. Also read: Bharat Biotech applies for WHO approval; pre-submission meeting soon "Many have themselves become infected, and while reporting is scant, we estimate that at least 115,000 health and care workers have paid the ultimate price in the service of others”, Ghebreyesus added. The chief of UN too, commented on the ongoing pandemic, saying that the world is “at war” against COVID-19. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the world is “at war” against coronavirus. Also read: Taiwan slams WHO's 'indifference' after failing to get into key meeting Guterres said that the pandemic had caused a “tsunami of suffering” in countries around the world. During the World Health Organization’s main annual assembly with member states, Guterres said that over 3.4 million have died due to the pandemic and 500 million jobs had disappeared since the pandemic began in Wuhan, China at the end of 2019. "The most vulnerable are suffering most, and I fear this is far from over," Guterres said. Guterres also urged for "a two-speed global response." (With inputs from agencies)

COVID-19: WHO chief urges all countries to vaccinate 10% of their populations by September

World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has said that waiving intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines will not be enough to narrow the huge supply gap between rich and poor countries.

South Africa and India have urged fellow WTO members to waive intellectual property rights on vaccines to boost production.

Poorer countries that make up half the world's population have received just 17 per cent&nbsp;of doses, a situation the World Health Organization head has labelled "vaccine apartheid".

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US&nbsp;President Joe Biden said last week he supported the waiver idea, but the European Union and other developed country opponents said it will not increase output.

Speaking to the European Parliament on Thursday, WTO director-general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said it was clear that an IP waiver alone would not be enough.

"To have solved the unacceptable problem of inequity of access to vaccines, we have to be holistic. It's not one or the other," she said, adding this could not drag out for years.

The European Commission outlined a plan on Wednesday it sees as a more effective way of boosting output, using existing WTO rules, rather than a waiver. It notes countries can grant licences to manufacturers to produce with or without the patent-holder's consent.

Bolivia signed a deal last week with a Canadian company Biolyse Pharma Corp to produce the Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccine, which would require Biolyse to secure authorisation from Johnson &amp; Johnson or a "compulsory licence" from Canada.

Okonjo-Iweala said developing countries had complained the licencing process was cumbersome and should be improved.

Manufacturers should work to expand production, she said, pointing to idle capacity in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Thailand, Senegal, South Africa.

There also needed to be a transfer of technology and know-how, with vaccines often harder to produce than drugs.

"I'm convinced that we can agree a text that gives developing countries that kind of access and flexibility, whilst protecting research and innovation," she said.

World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has said that waiving intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines will not be enough to narrow the huge supply gap between rich and poor countries.

World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has said that waiving intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines will not be enough to narrow the huge supply gap between rich and poor countries. South Africa and India have urged fellow WTO members to waive intellectual property rights on vaccines to boost production. Poorer countries that make up half the world's population have received just 17 per cent of doses, a situation the World Health Organization head has labelled "vaccine apartheid". US President Joe Biden said last week he supported the waiver idea, but the European Union and other developed country opponents said it will not increase output. Speaking to the European Parliament on Thursday, WTO director-general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said it was clear that an IP waiver alone would not be enough. "To have solved the unacceptable problem of inequity of access to vaccines, we have to be holistic. It's not one or the other," she said, adding this could not drag out for years. The European Commission outlined a plan on Wednesday it sees as a more effective way of boosting output, using existing WTO rules, rather than a waiver. It notes countries can grant licences to manufacturers to produce with or without the patent-holder's consent. Bolivia signed a deal last week with a Canadian company Biolyse Pharma Corp to produce the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which would require Biolyse to secure authorisation from Johnson & Johnson or a "compulsory licence" from Canada. Okonjo-Iweala said developing countries had complained the licencing process was cumbersome and should be improved. Manufacturers should work to expand production, she said, pointing to idle capacity in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Thailand, Senegal, South Africa. There also needed to be a transfer of technology and know-how, with vaccines often harder to produce than drugs. "I'm convinced that we can agree a text that gives developing countries that kind of access and flexibility, whilst protecting research and innovation," she said.

COVID-19 vaccine patent waiver will not be enough to bridge supply gap: WTO

The head of the World Health Organization called on COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers to make shots available to the COVAX vaccine-sharing facility earlier than planned due to a supply shortfall left by Indian export disruptions. 
 
COVAX, which supplies doses to poorer countries, relies heavily on India`s Serum Institute`s exports of the AstraZeneca shot but many of these are instead being used by the country as it battles a massive second wave of infections. 
 
The head of UNICEF on Monday asked wealthy G7 countries ahead of a summit next month to donate supplies as an emergency measure to make up the shortfall estimated at 140 million doses by end-May. 
 
"While we appreciate the work of AstraZeneca who have been steadily increasing the speed and volume of their deliveries, we need other manufacturers to follow suit," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual briefing. 
 
Specifically, he asked Pfizer to bring forward deliveries of some 40 million doses in the second half of the year and asked Moderna to make doses pledged for 2022 available this year. 
 
"We need doses right now and call on them to bring forward deliveries as soon as possible," he said. 
 
G7 member France has already given some AstraZeneca shots to COVAX and talks with Washington on donations are ongoing. 
 
WHO senior adviser Bruce Aylward defended COVAX`s work so far in providing 65 million doses to 120 countries, calling it a success. But wealthy countries need to donate more vaccines now they have vaccinated their most vulnerable populations, he said. 
 
"We are moving in the right direction. We are not moving there fast enough and we are not moving there at large enough volumes," he said.

The head of the World Health Organization called on COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers to make shots available to the COVAX vaccine-sharing facility earlier than planned due to a supply shortfall left by Indian export disruptions.

The head of the World Health Organization called on COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers to make shots available to the COVAX vaccine-sharing facility earlier than planned due to a supply shortfall left by Indian export disruptions. COVAX, which supplies doses to poorer countries, relies heavily on India`s Serum Institute`s exports of the AstraZeneca shot but many of these are instead being used by the country as it battles a massive second wave of infections. The head of UNICEF on Monday asked wealthy G7 countries ahead of a summit next month to donate supplies as an emergency measure to make up the shortfall estimated at 140 million doses by end-May. "While we appreciate the work of AstraZeneca who have been steadily increasing the speed and volume of their deliveries, we need other manufacturers to follow suit," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual briefing. Specifically, he asked Pfizer to bring forward deliveries of some 40 million doses in the second half of the year and asked Moderna to make doses pledged for 2022 available this year. "We need doses right now and call on them to bring forward deliveries as soon as possible," he said. G7 member France has already given some AstraZeneca shots to COVAX and talks with Washington on donations are ongoing. WHO senior adviser Bruce Aylward defended COVAX`s work so far in providing 65 million doses to 120 countries, calling it a success. But wealthy countries need to donate more vaccines now they have vaccinated their most vulnerable populations, he said. "We are moving in the right direction. We are not moving there fast enough and we are not moving there at large enough volumes," he said.

WHO chief urges COVID-19 vaccine makers to advance doses for COVAX

World Health Organization’s Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus intends to run for a second five-year term as the agency’s chief, Stat News reported on Monday.

Ghebreyesus has remained the face of the agency as the COVID-19 pandemic ripped through the world after emerging in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019. Ghebreyesus is Ethiopian and in 2017 became the first African to head the World Health Organization which is based in Geneva.&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/coronavirus-pandemic-a-long-way-from-over-says-who-chief-tedros-adhanom-377200/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

No confirmation has come in from Ghebreyesus himself or from the World Health Organization. To retain the position, Tedros would require the support of major countries across the world and African countries could hold the key to his reappointment.

In November 2020, he was accused by the Ethiopian military of supporting and attempting to procure arms for Tigray’s dominant political party which was in direct confrontation with the country’s armed forces. Ghebreyesus has denied any involvement in the crisis.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/science-technology/scientists-urge-who-to-look-further-into-coronavirus-origins-381778" hreflang="en">Scientists urge WHO to look further into coronavirus origins</a>

Under his leadership, the WHO has witnessed perhaps the biggest challenge in decades with COVID-19 which continues to log fatalities in many countries. Currently, India remains the epicentre of the virus.

Former US President Donald Trump accused Tedros and the WHO of being too “China-centric” and stopped contributions to the agency while setting off plans to leave the agency. The WHO has denied any wrongdoing in dealing with the Covid crisis.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/covid-crisis-like-in-india-could-happen-anywhere-warns-who-381419" hreflang="en">Covid crisis like in India could 'happen anywhere', warns WHO</a>

When Biden became US President, he announced the country’s return to the organisation and its plans to seek reforms in the health body.

After global doubts over the origins of COVID-19 made noise, the WHO ordered a mission into the virus. But the WHO chief remained distant from the mission which was jointly undertaken with Chinese scientists. According to the report submitted on March 30, the virus jumped to humans from animals and said that a lab leak remained an “extremely unlikely” cause of the virus.

(With inputs from agencies)

World Health Organization’s Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus intends to run for a second five-year term as the agency’s chief, Stat News reported on Monday.

World Health Organization’s Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus intends to run for a second five-year term as the agency’s chief, Stat News reported on Monday. Ghebreyesus has remained the face of the agency as the COVID-19 pandemic ripped through the world after emerging in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019. Ghebreyesus is Ethiopian and in 2017 became the first African to head the World Health Organization which is based in Geneva. No confirmation has come in from Ghebreyesus himself or from the World Health Organization. To retain the position, Tedros would require the support of major countries across the world and African countries could hold the key to his reappointment. In November 2020, he was accused by the Ethiopian military of supporting and attempting to procure arms for Tigray’s dominant political party which was in direct confrontation with the country’s armed forces. Ghebreyesus has denied any involvement in the crisis. Also read: Scientists urge WHO to look further into coronavirus origins Under his leadership, the WHO has witnessed perhaps the biggest challenge in decades with COVID-19 which continues to log fatalities in many countries. Currently, India remains the epicentre of the virus. Former US President Donald Trump accused Tedros and the WHO of being too “China-centric” and stopped contributions to the agency while setting off plans to leave the agency. The WHO has denied any wrongdoing in dealing with the Covid crisis. Also read: Covid crisis like in India could 'happen anywhere', warns WHO When Biden became US President, he announced the country’s return to the organisation and its plans to seek reforms in the health body. After global doubts over the origins of COVID-19 made noise, the WHO ordered a mission into the virus. But the WHO chief remained distant from the mission which was jointly undertaken with Chinese scientists. According to the report submitted on March 30, the virus jumped to humans from animals and said that a lab leak remained an “extremely unlikely” cause of the virus. (With inputs from agencies)

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to seek re-election: Report

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