The World Health Organisation led team is expected to go to China in the first week of January 2021 for investigating and examining the origins of the deadly Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that triggered the pandemic worldwide.
There was no direct comment from the Chinese health Ministry on the WHO’s visit but it stated that China is ready for enhancing its cooperation with the health agency to advance the global tracing efforts and for contributing China’s share in the victory against the pandemic.
Under the much-awaited international mission, a team of 12-15 international experts is expected to visit China for examining the evidence, including the samples of animals and humans that are collected by the Chinese researchers, so that they can build initial studies.
Resolution for an independent inquiry on the origin of the virus:
In May 2020, the World Health Assembly which is a governing body of WHO’s 194 member states had approved the resolution for setting up an independent inquiry.
It will conduct an independent, impartial, and comprehensive evaluation of the international response as well as that of WHO. The assembly had also asked the World Health Organisation for investigating the source of the virus as well as the route of introduction to the human population.
As the international team now prepares to visit Wuhan, a Danish member has informed that the team will leave for a six-week mission, just after New years’.
Reportedly, as per the terms of reference, phase 1 of the mission was supposed to be completed by now and if that’s what the team gets once they reach China, then they will already be in Phase 2.
Why China and WHO is under pressure for the COVID related inquiry? |
| As the first cases of the virus are believed to have emerged in Wuhan, Central China, the United States has accused the country of hiding the extent of the outbreak. The US also called for transparency by WHO and criticized its terms that allowed the Chinese scientists for doing the first phase of preliminary research. Both China and the World Health Organisation are also under pressure as some of the Western Countries have voiced their concern on the delay by WHO in sending the international experts to China as the health organization has been working for months to send a team of international experts. On the other hand, the state media of China have been trying to change the origin theory of the virus and have been trying to shift the blame outside. According to them, the origin can be the US, Italy, the Indian subcontinent, the US military, or the imported frozen food packages. |
Background:
The first cases of pneumonia of unknown cause were reported by China in Wuhan, which is Central China, to the World Health Organisation on December 31, 2019. The country had further closed the market where the coronavirus is believed to have emerged. The virus later spread all over the world affecting the lives of people globally.
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