The World Health Organization on Monday urged China to share data and help understand how COVID-19 began, five years after the start of the pandemic that has swept the planet.
COVID-19 has killed millions of people, shattered economies and paralyzed health systems.
“We continue to call on China to share data and access so we can understand the origins of COVID-19. This is a moral and scientific imperative,” WHO said in a statement.
“Without transparency, sharing, and cooperation between countries, the world cannot adequately prevent and prepare for future epidemics and pandemics.”
WHO reported in December how on April 31, 2019, its country office in China raised a media statement from health officials in Wuhan regarding cases of “viral pneumonia” in the city.
“In the weeks, months and years that followed, COVID-19 came to shape our lives and our world,” the UN health agency said.
“As we mark this milestone, let’s take a moment to honor the lives changed and lost, recognizing those who have suffered from COVID-19 and Long COVID , Express our gratitude to the health workers who have sacrificed so much to care for us and are committed to learning from COVID-19 to build a healthier tomorrow.”
Earlier this month, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus addressed the issue of whether the world was better prepared for the next pandemic than COVID-19.
“The answer is both yes and no,” he said at a news conference.
“If the next pandemic hits today, the world will still face the same vulnerabilities and weaknesses that helped COVID-19 gain a foothold five years ago.
“But the world has also learned many painful lessons taught by the pandemic and has taken important steps to strengthen its defenses against future epidemics and pandemics.”
In December 2021, countries, alarmed by the devastation caused by COVID, decided to begin drafting an agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response.
WHO’s 194 member states negotiating the treaty have agreed on most of what it covers, but are stuck on practicalities.
A major fault-line is between Western countries with major pharmaceutical industry sectors and poorer countries that are wary of being sidelined if the next pandemic hits.
While there are some outstanding issues, they include the core of the agreement: the obligation to quickly share emerging pathogens, and then the pandemic-fighting benefits derived from them, such as vaccines.
The deadline for negotiations is May 2025.