China withheld key data on origin of COVID-19 from WHO

Apr 05, 2021 News

– US, other countries issue joint statement of concern

Kaieteur News – China has withheld key data from the World Health Organization (WHO) relating to the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus which first saw an emergence in Wuhan City in late 2019. This was revealed by the WHO’s Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus last Tuesday, as he addressed members states. He highlighted that a WHO-led team had spent four weeks in and around Wuhan, China and a final report was released to the public.

WHO’s Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

The final report noted that the virus was likely transmitted from bats to humans through other animals and that a lab leak was “extremely unlikely” as the main cause. The Director-General stated that in his discussions with the team, they expressed the difficulties, which they encountered in accessing raw data from China and that he expects future collaborative studies to include more timely and comprehensive data sharing.
A Microbiologist and WHO inspector, Dominic Dwyer disclosed to Reuters, the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times that the team had requested raw patient data from early cases of infection which he referred to as “standard practice”; however, they only received a summary of that data from China.
The raw data that were requested were from some 174 identified cases of COVID-19 from Wuhan in December 2019.
Meanwhile, the United States of America and 13 other countries including Australia, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Estonia, Israel, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Slovenia and the United Kingdom have issued a joint statement expressing their concern over the WHO’s final report. “Together, we support a transparent and independent analysis and evaluation, free from interference and undue influence, of the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this regard, we join in expressing shared concerns regarding the recent WHO-convened study in China, while at the same time reinforcing the importance of working together toward the development and use of a swift, effective, transparent, science-based, and independent process for international evaluations of such outbreaks of unknown origin in the future,” the statement noted.
Furthermore, it said that the WHO’s mission to advance global health and health security is an important mandate so it is equally essential that they voice their shared concerns that the international expert study on the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was significantly delayed and lacked access to complete, original data and samples.
They lamented that they share their concerns not only for the benefit of learning all that can be learnt about the origins of the current pandemic, but also to lay a pathway to a “timely, transparent, evidence-based” process for the next phase of this study as well as for a next possible health crisis.
They noted the findings and recommendations but stated that going forward, there must be a renewed commitment by WHO and all Member States to access, transparency, and timeliness.
“It is critical for independent experts to have full access to all pertinent human, animal, and environmental data, research, and personnel involved in the early stages of the outbreak relevant to determining how this pandemic emerged,” the statement outlined.
They have underscored the need for a robust, comprehensive, and expert-led mechanism to investigate expeditiously outbreaks of unknown origin.