A day after China decided to create a new advisory group that will develop a global framework to study pathogens and origins for Coronavirus, China on Friday rejected the WHO’s calls for a renewed probe into the origins of Covid-19. The country stated that it supported “scientific” over “political” efforts to find out the origin of deadly virus which has killed millions across the globe.
“We oppose political tracing… and abandoning the joint report” issued after a WHO expert team visited Wuhan in January, vice foreign minister Ma Zhaoxu told AFP. “We support scientific tracing.”
“The International Scientific Advisory Group for Origins of Novel Pathogens, or SAGO, is a new advisory group for WHO, which will be responsible for advising WHO on the development of a global framework to systematically study the emergence of future emerging pathogens with pandemic potential. For SARS-CoV-2, it will support the rapid undertaking of recommended studies outlined in the March 2021 report,” the WHO said in a statement on Thursday.
Last month, the WHO proposed a second phase of studies into the origins of the coronavirus in China. The second phase would include- audits of laboratories and markets in the city of Wuhan. Beijing.
In a statement issued on Thursday, WHO called for all governments to depoliticize the situation. It stated that to move forward, WHO calls for all governments to depoliticize the situation and cooperate to accelerate the studies of the origins, and importantly to work together to develop a common framework for future emerging pathogens of pandemic potential