Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s national security adviser, said in a statement Saturday that the government is concerned about the World Health Organization (WHO) investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Why it matters: Sullivan said the government fears the Chinese government has intervened or changed the findings of the investigation.
Context: On the first day of his administration, Biden stepped in to return the US to the WHO. The Trump administration had started a withdrawal from the organization in July 2020.
- WHO teams conducted the study last month in Wuhan, China, where the virus first emerged.
- The investigation was agreed last May, but it was delayed after Chinese officials withheld permission to allow the international team’s planned visit.
- The delay drew a rare rebuke from WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The WHO team concluded that it is “extremely unlikely” that the virus is the result of a laboratory accident and that it most likely intervened on humans through an intermediate species.
- “Our initial findings suggest that introduction via an intermediate host species is the most likely route and one that requires more studies and more specific, targeted research,” said WHO scientist Peter Ben Embarek.
What they say: “The World Health Organization (WHO) mission has never been more important and we have deep respect for its experts and the work they do every day to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and advance global health and health security,” Sullivan said in a statement.
- “But re-engaging the WHO also means meeting the highest standards. And at this critical juncture, protecting WHO credibility is a top priority.”
- “We are very concerned about how the initial findings of the COVID-19 study were communicated and questions about the process used to reach them.”
- “It is imperative that this report be independent, with expert findings free from intervention or modification by the Chinese government. To better understand this pandemic and prepare for the next, China must have its data from the first days after. make the outbreak available. “
The big picture: Going forward, Sullivan said all countries, including China, should be more transparent to avoid health emergencies such as the coronavirus pandemic and allow other countries to respond more quickly.
The other side: The Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC, said in a statement that in recent years the US has “seriously undermined multilateral institutions, including the WHO, and seriously damaged international cooperation on COVID-19”.
- So the US should not “point the finger at other countries” that have backed the WHO, the statement added.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated with comments from the Chinese Embassy.