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The CHINA president is said to have personally requested the World Health Organization to withhold details of the coronavirus and delay a global warning.
The WHO has been criticized for its management of the disease, and some accuse it of “chattering Chinese propaganda.”
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In particular, the organization has been criticized for taking too long to declare the outbreak a pandemic, and echoing Beijing’s initial claims that the virus could not be transmitted between humans.
And an explosive report, which the WHO has denied, now claims that Chinese Prime Minister Xi Jinping personally called the WHO chief to ask him to do exactly this.
The call between Xi and WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus took place on January 21, according to Der Spiegel.
The Chinese leader urged Ghebreyesus to withhold information about the person-to-person transmission and delay a pandemic warning, the newspaper reports, citing sources from Germany’s BND intelligence service.
The WHO did not classify the coronavirus as a pandemic until March 11.
By then, there were more than 120,000 confirmed cases and almost 4,400 deaths.
WHO SUPPORTS
The BND estimates that China’s information policy cost the world between four and six vital weeks in the battle against the pandemic, Der Spiegel said.
But the WHO responded today with an angry response, calling the reports “unfounded and false.”
The organization said in a statement: “Dr. Tedros and President Xi did not speak on January 21 and never did by phone.
“Such inaccurate reports distract and detract from the efforts of the WHO and the world to end the Covid-19 pandemic.”
He added: “China confirmed human-to-human transmission of the new coronavirus on January 20 [prior to the alleged phone conversation].
“The WHO publicly stated on January 22 that” the data collected … suggests that person-to-person transmission is in Wuhan. “
WHO TOOK ‘
Many have accused WHO, a United Nations organization, of being welcomed by China from the first days of the outbreak.
Its international experts did not have access to the country affected by the virus until Ghebreyesus visited President Xi Jinping in late January.
What is WHO and why has it faced criticism of the coronavirus?
The World Health Organization was founded in 1948 and is based in Switzerland.
It is the UN agency responsible for global public health and has 194 member states.
It participates in global vaccination campaigns, health emergencies and supports primary care worldwide.
WHO aims to “promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable,” and is funded by membership dues, the amount of which depends on population and wealth, and voluntary contributions.
In 2018-19, the United States donated more than $ 400 million, about 15% of the WHO budget. China gave more than any other country, apart from the USA. USA, providing around $ 86 million.
Trump, who called the WHO “very focused on China,” accused it of failing to properly assess the outbreak when it first emerged in Wuhan.
He claimed that if the agency had denounced China’s “lack of transparency” and had not taken the country’s guarantees to the letter, the outbreak could have been contained “with very little death.”
On January 14, the WHO tweeted that early Chinese investigations had found “no clear evidence of person-to-person transmission” of the new virus.
But just a week later, the agency released a statement saying there appeared to be person-to-person transmission in Wuhan.
Despite the emergence of the virus in December, WHO experts were only allowed to visit China and investigate the outbreak on February 10, at which time the country had more than 40,000 cases.
In late January, the WHO said no travel restrictions were needed to stop the spread of the coronavirus, which many countries ignored, and there has been some criticism that the agency’s guidance on face masks has caused confusion among the public. .
And even after stories emerged showing China had tried to cover up the outbreak in Wuhan, Ghebreyesus praised President Xi Jinping’s country for its “transparency.”
He said in a statement on January 28: “We appreciate the seriousness with which China is taking this outbreak.”
He then hit countries like the United States for inciting “fear and stigma” by denying entry to travelers from China.
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Ghebreyesus said that “there was no reason for measures that would unnecessarily interfere with travel and international trade.”
Among those who criticized the WHO for its handling of the crisis is Donald Trump, who last month suspended $ 500 million in US funds for the organization.
The President of the United States claimed that the UN agency “had failed in its basic duty and must be held accountable” for promoting China’s “disinformation” about the pandemic.
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