The World Health Organization called on Beijing – yesterday, Monday – to share data to help in efforts to understand the origins of the virus, the first cases of which were discovered in central China 5 years ago, and according to the Foreign Ministry – on Tuesday – they shared the largest amount of data and research results on… “Covid-19” with various countries, and the ministry added that work to trace the origins of the virus must be done in other countries.
The organization said yesterday that 5 years after recording the first cases of “Covid-19” infection, it is still waiting for full cooperation from Beijing to clarify the origin of the new coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19).
The World Health Organization in Geneva said, “This is a moral and scientific duty.”
“We continue to call on China to share and access data so that we can understand the origins of Covid-19,” she added.
Transparency
The World Health Organization warned that “without transparency, participation and cooperation between countries, the world cannot adequately prevent and prepare for future epidemics and pandemics.”
It is noteworthy that since the beginning of this pandemic, China has expressed its fears that it will be blamed for the global outbreak of the disease.
Since then, the Chinese government and state media have adopted a massive public opinion campaign focusing on the possibility that the virus may have come from abroad rather than from China.
A joint committee of Chinese experts and the World Health Organization was not able to travel to Wuhan until 2021.
In its final report, the committee considered it “possible or very likely” that the Corona virus originated from a type of wild animal and then was transmitted to another type of animal before eventually being transmitted to humans.
However, it remains unclear to determine the origin and route of transmission.
Last September, an international scientific study presented additional evidence that “Covid-19” originated from wild animals traded in a market in Wuhan, and that the virus did not leak from a laboratory in this city located in central China.
About 777 million cases of the virus and about 7 million deaths have been recorded worldwide since the outbreak of this disease, according to the World Health Organization.
However, the organization assumes that the real number of people who have died directly and indirectly as a result of the pandemic is several times higher than the documented cases.
The loopholes themselves
Earlier this month, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus addressed the question of whether the world is better prepared for any next pandemic than COVID-19.
“The answer is yes and no,” he said in a press conference.
“If the next pandemic emerges today, the world will still face some of the same vulnerabilities and gaps that gave Covid-19 a foothold 5 years ago,” he explained.
“But the world also learned many of the painful lessons that the epidemic taught us, and took important steps to strengthen its defenses against future epidemics and pandemics,” he added.
In December 2021, countries decided (in light of the devastating effects of COVID-19) to begin drafting an agreement on epidemic prevention, preparedness and response.
The 194 member countries of the World Health Organization agreed on most of the terms of the agreement, but remained stuck on practical points.
There is a major disagreement between Western countries – which include major sectors of the pharmaceutical industry – and developing countries, which fear that they will be marginalized in the event of a new epidemic.
Although the outstanding issues are few, they are very important: they highlight the need for a commitment to rapid sharing of emerging pathogens, as well as the benefits such as vaccines that accrue from their study.
The deadline for the conclusion of negotiations has been set in May 2025.