The World Well being Organisation says it “did not waste time” responding to the coronavirus after going through criticism for its dealing with of the outbreak.

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Its head Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus mentioned the WHO’s declaration of the virus as a world well being emergency on 30 January gave “sufficient time for the remainder of the world to reply”.

On the time there was solely 82 instances outdoors China and no deaths.

Right this moment there are greater than 3.2 million instances and 234,000 deaths recorded worldwide.

US President Donald Trump has mentioned the WHO “actually blew” its response and accused it of bias in direction of China.

The US is the worldwide well being physique’s largest single funder and President Trump has mentioned he’ll halt funding.

Talking at a information convention on Friday Dr Tedros supplied a vigorous defence of how the organisation responded.

He insisted the WHO used the time earlier than the declaration correctly, together with visiting China to be taught extra in regards to the virus at its origin.

Dr Tedros confirmed that the pandemic remained a “public well being emergency of worldwide concern”, three months after it was declared one.

Such a declaration is made beneath an “extraordinary” occasion and requires a worldwide response.

-BBC

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