Coronavirus probe gains momentum ahead of World Health Assembly
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More than 100 countries, including 50 African nations and all European Union member states, are backing a resolution calling for an independent probe into the coronavirus pandemic, Australia said in the run-up to a key meeting of the World Health Assembly (WHA).
The World Health Assembly, which has been trimmed from the usual three weeks to just two days, Monday and Tuesday, is expected to focus almost solely on Covid-19, which in a matter of months has killed more than 310,000 globally, and infected nearly 4.7 million.
A number of heads of state, government chiefs, health ministers and other dignitaries are expected to attend the meeting, which is due to kick off around noon on Monday.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday the event would be “one of the most important (WHAs) since we were founded in 1948”.
Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt was quoted by news reports as saying the motion was “expected to be endorsed” at the assembly as early as Tuesday. Hunt is representing his country in the virtual WHA meeting, which is set to begin later on Monday.
At least 116 countries have now signed up as co-sponsors of the draft motion calling for an investigation, according to Australia’s TV network ABC news.
Britain, Canada, India, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand and Russia have also indicated their support.
While the coronavirus motion does not single-out China by name, it has angered officials with Beijing threatening economic countermeasures against Australia, which first pushed for an investigation.
Aside from the pandemic, World Health Organization (WHO) officials are also expected to raise the question of Taiwan’s participation as an observer at the WHA – a move that is also expected to anger China.
Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of China, is one of the few places to have successfully contained the spread of coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.
