The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday urged unity, a day after the agency came under fire from United States President, Donald Trump.
The agency Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus defended the WHO’s work and called for an end to the politicisation of COVID-19.
Mr Trump said Tuesday he would consider ending US funding for the agency. The President accused the WHO of being “very China-centric” and said they “really blew” their pandemic response.
Dr. Tedros has now dismissed the comments, insisting: “We are close to every nation, we are colour-blind.” COVID-19 first emerged last December in the Chinese city of Wuhan, which has just ended an 11-week lockdown.
An advisor to the WHO chief earlier said that their close work with China had been “absolutely essential” in understanding the disease in its early stages. Mr. Trump’s comments came in the context of criticism of his own administration’s handling of the pandemic.
“Please, unity at the national level, no using COVID or political points,” Dr. Tedros said. “Second, honest solidarity at the global level. And honest leadership from the US and China.”
“The most powerful should lead the way and please quarantine COVID politics,” he appealed, in comments seen as a response to Mr. Trump’s.
Speaking during the daily Coronavirus Task Force briefing at the White House, the President said Tuesday that the WHO appeared to be “very biased toward China.”
- BBC
