WHO implores China to share data, access to learn about Covid-19’s origins
‘Without transparency, sharing and cooperation, the world cannot adequately prevent and prepare for future epidemics and pandemics.’
The World Health Organization is urging Beijing to share information that will shed light on the origins of Covid-19, five years after the virus first surfaced and reshaped the global geopolitical landscape.
At least 7.1 million people, including 1.2 million in the US, have died from the virus, according to the WHO, which began publicising data reported by its 194 member states on December 31, 2019 – the day the health committee in Wuhan released its first statement on the cases of “viral pneumonia”.
“We continue to call on China to share data and access so we can understand the origins of Covid-19,” the WHO, which is a United Nation agency, said on Monday.
“This is a moral and scientific imperative,” it continued. “Without transparency, sharing and cooperation among countries, the world cannot adequately prevent and prepare for future epidemics and pandemics.”
The WHO noted that the world had been reshaped by the pandemic.
“As we mark this milestone, let’s take a moment to honour the lives changed and lost, recognise those who are suffering from Covid-19 and long Covid, express gratitude to the health workers who sacrificed so much to care for us, and commit to learning from Covid-19 to build a healthier tomorrow,” it said.
