WHO launches probe into its handling of pandemic

GENEVA • The World Health Organisation (WHO), which faced fierce US criticism over its handling of the coronavirus crisis, has launched an independent panel to review its response to the pandemic.

The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response was launched on Thursday and is headed by former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark and former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

"Through you, the world will understand the truth of what happened, and also the solutions to build our future better as one humanity," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at the United Nations agency's headquarters in Geneva.

At their annual assembly in May, WHO member states agreed to an independent probe into the agency's coronavirus response, following repeated attacks by the US.

President Donald Trump accuses the WHO of botching its handling of the pandemic and of being a "puppet of China". The European Union-tabled resolution calls for an "impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation".

It said the investigation should probe "the actions of WHO and their timelines pertaining to the Covid-19 pandemic".

Dr Tedros hit out at divisions in the international community and warned of severe consequences if this were not rectified.

"Make no mistake: The greatest threat we face now is not the virus itself - rather, it is the lack of leadership and solidarity at the global and national levels," he said.

"We cannot defeat this pandemic as a divided world. The virus thrives on division, but is thwarted when we unite."

The coronavirus has killed more than 557,000 people since the outbreak emerged in China last December. At least 12.3 million cases of coronavirus have been registered in 196 countries and territories.

At least 7.2 million patients are now considered to have recovered.

An advance WHO team has left for China to organise an investigation into the origins of the coronavirus, a spokesman said yesterday.

The two WHO experts, specialists in animal science and epidemiology, will work with Chinese scientists to determine the scope and itinerary of the investigation, WHO spokesman Margaret Harris told a UN briefing.

"They are gone, they are in the air now, they are the advance party to work out the scope," she said.

Ms Harris also said the WHO will have no role in the independent panel, adding: "From now on, it is completely hands-off."

The panel will stage one mission briefing a month to give updates, and will present an interim report to the next World Health Assembly gathering in November.

Meanwhile, the WHO on Thursday released new guidelines on the transmission of the coronavirus that acknowledged some reports of airborne transmission, but stopped short of confirming that the virus spreads through the air.

In its latest transmission guidance, the WHO acknowledged that some outbreak reports related to indoor crowded spaces have suggested the possibility of aerosol transmission, such as during choir practice, in restaurants or in fitness classes. But it added that more research is "urgently needed to investigate such instances and assess their significance for transmission of Covid-19".

The report follows an open letter from aerobiologists - scientists who specialise in the spread of disease in the air - urging the world body to update its guidance on how the respiratory disease spreads to include aerosol transmission.

Based on its review of the evidence, the WHO said the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 spreads through contact with contaminated surfaces or close contact with infected people who transmit the virus through saliva, respiratory secretions or droplets released when they cough, sneeze, speak or sing.

The new guidelines suggest that people should avoid crowds and ensure good ventilation in buildings, in addition to social distancing. They also encourage the wearing of masks when physical distancing is not possible.

In a press briefing on Thursday, Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said there is not a lot of solid evidence yet on airborne transmission of Sars-CoV-2 - the scientific name for the coronavirus - but he added: "I think it's a reasonable assumption that it does occur."

Dr Fauci said that although it is incomplete, the evidence so far is "the fundamental basis for why we are now so intent on getting people - particularly people without symptoms - to wear masks. To be able to see if we can mitigate against that".

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE