WHO pledges pandemic response probe

GENEVA: The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday kicked off its first ever virtual assembly, but fears abound that US-China tensions could derail the strong action needed to address the coronavirus pandemic.

Coronavirus cases surged to 4,859,345 with 60,080 cases while 318,530 deaths with 20,15 new deaths were reported across the world on Monday, says the Worldometer in its report.

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.

US President Donald Trump last week threatened to cut ties with China, where the outbreak first emerged late last year, over its role in the spread of COVID-19, and has repeatedly made unproven allegations that the virus originated in a Chinese lab. He has also suspended funding to the WHO over accusations it initially downplayed the seriousness of the outbreak, and was kowtowing to Beijing.

Despite the tensions, countries hope to adopt a resolution by consensus urging a joint response to the pandemic.

The resolution, tabled by the European Union, calls for an "impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation" of the international response to the coronavirus crisis.

Consultations around the text concluded last week after "tough" negotiations, according to Nora Kronig, who heads the international affairs division of Switzerland´s public health office.

After several days, a tentative agreement was reached to approve the resolution, which also calls for more equitable access for tests, medical equipment, potential treatments and a possible future vaccine.

An EU source hailed the draft as "ambitious", and pointed out that if it does indeed pass by consensus as expected, it would mark the first time a global forum has achieved unanimous support for a text on the COVID-19 response. The source said countries had not shied away from thorny topics, including a call for more WHO reform after determining that its capacities "have proven insufficient to prevent a crisis of this magnitude".

The resolution also calls for the WHO to work closely with other international agencies and countries to identify the animal source of the virus and figure out how it first jumped to humans.

While diplomats have agreed in principle on the draft resolution, observers voiced concerns that in the current politicised atmosphere, some countries might still choose to break the consensus next week. "My hope is that we will be able to join consensus," US Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva Andrew Bremberg said Friday.

"While this has been an ongoing concern for several years, this has taken on a heightened attention this year in response to the global pandemic," Bremberg said. "Allowing for some sort of meaningful participation would seem to be the minimum that the WHO could do."

The UN health agency has, however, insisted that such a move would require a resolution by member states, who in 1972 decided Beijing was China´s sole legitimate representative. It has also suggested it can only issue an invite with Beijing´s blessing.

Meanwhile, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus pledged Monday to launch an independent probe to review the coronavirus pandemic response as soon as possible. "I will initiate an independent evaluation at the earliest appropriate moment to review experience gained and lessons learned and to make recommendations to improve national and global pandemic preparedness and response," he said at the start of the WHO´s annual World Health Assembly.

On Monday, Tedros opens the UN health agency´s main annual event, the World Health Assembly, which due to the pandemic will be held virtually and has been trimmed from the usual three weeks to just two days. Amid the COVID-19 outbreak, Tedros said the event would be "one of the most important (WHAs) since we were founded in 1948".

The US president has also ramped up criticism of Tedros and WHO, accusing them of being too close to China and mismanaging the pandemic response.

Meanwhile, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday announced a lockdown across Turkey during the Eidul Fitr holidays marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramazan.

"There will be a lockdown from the eve until the end of the feast," Erdogan said in an address to the nation after the weekly cabinet meeting. That would mean from Saturday to Tuesday next week.

Turkey has had all-day, weekend and sometimes longer curfews in dozens of cities including Istanbul and the capital Ankara since the start of the outbreak.

This will be the first time the entire country of 83 million will be under confinement for four days. As part of the normalisation timetable announced by the president, mosques will reopen for worshipping from May 29 in line with conditions laid out by local and religious authorities.

Erdogan said schools would not reopen this academic year and would instead start in September.

Figures released on Monday showed 4,171 coronavirus deaths in Turkey with over 150,000 confirmed infections. The daily death tolls have fallen below 100 in the last few weeks. Erdogan urged the Turks to rearrange their lives according to the "new order" which he defined as "controlled social life." He warned the government would not hesitate to apply tougher measures again if the data showed the situation worsening.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday the coronavirus situation in Dagestan required urgent attention after a top official said hundreds of people in the region might have died from the virus. "The situation in the Republic of Dagestan is complicated and of course calls for additional -- and urgent measures," Putin told a meeting in Moscow. He said the poor North Caucasus region -- which has the fifth-highest number of coronavirus cases in Russia -- should receive additional equipment, medicines and tests. "I want you to know and be assured -- all of Russia will be with Dagestan now," he said, addressing residents of the region.

According to the most recent official tally released on Monday, Dagestan has reported 3,460 coronavirus cases and just 29 deaths.

Russia said Monday under 9,000 new coronavirus cases had been recorded for the first time since early May as anti-virus restrictions ease and officials say the situation is stabilising.

Health officials reported 8,926 new infections in the last 24 hours, bringing the country´s total to 290,678, the second-highest in the world after the United States. It was the lowest number of new virus cases since May 1, when Russia announced 7,933 cases.

Russia´s total fatalities now stand at 2,722, a rate considerably lower than in many other countries hit hard by the pandemic. Critics have cast doubt on Russia´s low official mortality rate, accusing authorities of under-reporting in order to play down the scale of the crisis.

Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova over the weekend denied manipulation of numbers, saying hospitals had a financial interest in identifying infections because they are allocated more money to treat coronavirus patients.

Meanwhile, UN chief Antonio Guterres said Monday the coronavirus pandemic should serve as a "wake-up call" to the world which must be more united in responding to the crisis.

The secretary-general said COVID-19 was the "greatest challenge of our age" and had demonstrated the world´s fragility, as nations went their own way in tackling the pandemic. Guterres said the crisis was an opportunity to rebuild a better world -- but he questioned whether countries were up to it.

Despite great scientific and technological advances in recent decades, a virus had "brought us to our knees", the United Nations chief said at the start of a virtual meeting of the World Health Organisation´s (WHO) World Health Assembly.

United Nations chief said, "Different countries have followed different, sometimes contradictory strategies and we are all paying a heavy price. Many countries have ignored the recommendations of the World Health Organisation. As a result, the virus has spread across the world."

Guterres reiterated his call for a WHO-led international response, expanded mental health services and policies to address the social and economic problems caused by the crisis.

Meanwhile, India's federal health ministry Monday morning said 157 new deaths due to COVID-19, besides fresh 5,242 positive cases were reported since Sunday in the country, taking the number of deaths to 3,029 and total cases to 96,169. "As on 8:00 am (local time) Monday, 3029 deaths related to novel Coronavirus have been recorded in the country," reads information released by the ministry.

On Sunday morning, the number of COVID-19 cases in the country was 90,927, and the death toll was 2,872. According to ministry officials, so far 36,824 people have been discharged from hospitals after showing improvement. "The number of active cases in the country right now is 56,316," reads the information.

Monday marks the 55th straight day of the ongoing lockdown across the country announced by the Centre Government to contain the spread of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday Beijing has been "transparent" throughout the coronavirus crisis, and offered to share a vaccine as soon as one was available -- as well as $2 billion in aid.

Governments including the US and Australia have called in recent weeks for an investigation into the origins of the virus, which has become a flashpoint in deteriorating tensions between Washington and Beijing.

Both US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have accused China of a lack of transparency over the issue, and repeatedly pushed the theory that the virus leaked from a Chinese maximum-security laboratory.

Addressing the first-ever virtual gathering of the WHO´s annual assembly, Xi said China has "always had an open, transparent and responsible attitude," and had shared information on the virus in a timely manner.

Speaking via videolink with a painting of the Great Wall in the background, Xi said China supports a "comprehensive evaluation" of the global response to the pandemic after it "has been brought under control" and that the probe should be led by the WHO. The inquiry should "sum up experiences and improve shortcomings" and "adhere to the principles of objectivity and fairness", Xi told the World Health Assembly.

With the world racing to find a drug to stop the pandemic, Xi pledged Monday to make any potential vaccine developed by China a "global public good" once it was put into use. This move would be China´s contribution to achieving accessibility and affordability of a vaccine in developing countries as well, Xi said. China says it has five potential vaccines in clinical trials.

Xi also said China would work with the United Nations to set up a "global humanitarian response depot" in China and facilitate the international movement of medical supplies.

Chinese President Xi Jinping voiced support for a joint approach, vowing in his address to make any vaccine his country developed open for all. "After the research and development of China´s coronavirus vaccine is completed and it is put into use, it will be made a global public good," said Xi, whose country currently has five potential vaccines in clinical trials.

Meanwhile, Iran on Monday said it was entering a new phase of trying to eliminate the novel coronavirus after bringing the Middle East´s deadliest outbreak under control in many regions.

"Reports show we have passed the management and control phase and are now in the phase of curbing" the spread of COVID-19, government spokesman Ali Rabiei told a televised news conference.

But even as Rabiei gave the upbeat assessment in Iran´s three-month struggle against the illness, the health ministry announced nearly 2,300 new infections -- the highest official single-day number since April 5. "We can have fewer deaths, keep people´s daily lives in motion and not cripple the economy even when the coronavirus exists," he said. Iran, he said, now had 280 "white" counties -- the lowest level on the country´s colour-coded risk scale -- out of its 434.

Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said meanwhile that 2,294 new infections were confirmed in the past 24 hours, raising the total to 122,492. Jahanpour added that 1,760 of the new cases were outpatients and people who had been in close contact with those infected.