Knowing Covid's origin very important; sending team to China next week: WHO unconvincing

More than 10.58 million people around the world have been diagnosed with COVID-19, while more than 5.7 million have recovered, and 513,861 have died, according to Worldometer. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday warned that the Coronavirus pandemic is “speeding up” and the “worst is yet to come”.

'Knowing the source is very, very important'

A lot of questions have been raised on the global health body and its handling of the pandemic worldwide. Countries like the United States have also terminated all relations with the WHO and accusing it of sharing misinformation and taking a soft stand against China. 

Now, the World Health Organization is planning to send a team to China to investigate the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic in the hope of being better able to fight the spread of Coronavirus.

“Knowing the source of the virus is very, very important,” the WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual press conference on Monday. “We can fight the virus better when we know everything about the virus, including how it started,” he said. “We will be sending a team next week to China to prepare for that and we hope that that will lead to understanding how the virus started.”

Tedros did not specify the make-up of the team, or what specifically its mission was. Netizens reacting to the news questioned the timing of "investigation" since the virus has created havoc globally in the past few months.

READ | "More and more angry at China": US President Trump says "people can see it, I can feel it"

READ | AYUSH Min approves Patanjali's Coronil as immunity booster; can't sell it as COVID-19 cure

'...because we have lame excuses'

"The reality is this is not close to being over...Globally, the pandemic is actually speeding up.," Tedros had earlier been quoted as saying. He added, "For many of our countries to really not hunt down this virus is our failure in contact tracing, because we have lame excuses, saying it's too many and it's too difficult to trace."

"Trust me, there is not too many even in a world situation. If contact tracing helps you to win the fight, you do it, even risking your life," he added.

123 nations had overcome China at the World Health Assembly in May and forced it to accept a probe into Covid's origin.

READ | Anand Mahindra calls Chinese stooge's jibe biggest 'rallying cry for India Inc'; hits back

READ | CM Mamata writes to Centre to stop flights & trains from high-COVID cities to West Bengal

(With agency inputs)