WHO forms a new group to investigate the origin of pandemics

Geneva, August 15, 2021:

The World Health Organization said on Friday that it was aiming to set up a new group to track the origin of the coronavirus and end what was called “political point scoring” that was blocking the investigation. rice field. The inability of WHO to say where and how the virus began to spread has fueled tensions among its members, especially between China and the United States, where Covid’s case was first identified.

WHO called for all governments to work together to accelerate research into the origins of pandemics and “depoliticize the situation.”

It clarified that a new advisory group, called the International Scientific Advisory Group on the Origin of New Pathogens, will support the “quick effort” of further research. “We should all work together,” WHO spokesman Fadela Chaib said on Friday.

Washington welcomed WHO’s plans on Friday, saying it “focuses on science-based research.”Reuters