After the World health Organization (WHO) released its report today on its investigation into the origins of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the United States and 14 other countries issued a joint statement expressing concern about the long delays in the study and the failure to obtain all the information.
WHO Secretary-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told WHO member states earlier in the day that the international panel of experts said they had “experienced difficulties in obtaining original information” while in China, and that “I look forward to future collaborative research that will allow for more timely and extensive sharing of information. I look forward to more timely and widespread sharing of information in future collaborative studies,” the joint statement said.
The joint statement said, “This international expert study of the source of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has been long delayed and has failed to obtain full and original information and samples, and we express our joint concern about this and the need for it.”
Countries that signed the statement include the United States, Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Israel, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, South Korea, Slovenia and the United Kingdom.
The statement said, “It is critical that independent experts have access to all relevant human, animal and environmental information and research, as well as free access to those involved in the early stages of the Epidemic related to determining how the pandemic occurred.”
Establishing guidelines for such investigations and research will help countries identify, prepare for and respond to future outbreaks, the statement noted.
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