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The WHO is hitting the wall. China once again rejected the request of the World Health Organization, which called for a new investigation into the origin of Covid-19. The WHO specifically requested access to “all data about the virus.”
In recent hours, the pressure on Beijing has increased due to Covid-19. The World Health Organization (WHO) urged all countries to publish “all data about the virus”, but China rejected a call for a new investigation in its territory to find the source of the virus on Friday, August 13.
An international team of experts sent by the World Health Organization visited Wuhan in January 2021, the city where Covid-19 was first discovered at the end of 2010. The report they prepared in collaboration with Chinese experts did not lead to a final conclusion on the origin of the virus. It is still possible for the coronavirus to leak from the Wuhan laboratory.
Beijing responded to the WHO and reiterated its position to defend it over the past few months: the preliminary investigation by China and the WHO is sufficient, and it is ulterior motive to request more data. “We support science-based research,” Deputy Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu said in response to WHO’s urge to adopt a “scientific” rather than a “political” approach. “We oppose the politicization of sourcing,” the representative of China added.
In particular, a joint study by the World Health Organization and China estimates that the transmission of coronavirus from bats to humans through intermediate animals is the most likely scenario. She thinks it is “extremely unlikely” that the virus came from the laboratory.
Ma Zhaoxu rejected the WHO’s request for further investigation. “The conclusions and recommendations of the joint report have been recognized by the international community and the scientific community,” he said. “Future research should and can only be conducted on the basis of this report. This is not to start over.”
Agence France-Presse