The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday called on China to share data and provide access to understand the origins of Covid-19, five years after the pandemic began. The virus has killed millions, disrupted economies, and overwhelmed health systems globally.
“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,” the WHO stated. The agency emphasized that without transparency, sharing, and cooperation among countries, the world cannot adequately prevent and prepare for future epidemics and pandemics.
On December 31, 2019, the WHO’s country office in China reported on cases of “viral pneumonia” in Wuhan. “In the weeks, months, and years that unfolded after that, Covid-19 came to shape our lives and our world,” the UN health agency said. The WHO urged the world to honor the lives lost and affected by the virus, recognize those suffering from Long Covid, and thank health workers for their sacrifices.
Earlier this month, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus discussed whether the world is better prepared for the next pandemic. “The answer is yes, and no,” he said. While the world still faces some of the same weaknesses and vulnerabilities that allowed Covid-19 to spread, significant steps have been taken to strengthen defenses against future pandemics.
In December 2021, countries started drafting an accord on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. However, the 194 WHO member states negotiating the treaty have encountered difficulties, particularly regarding the quick sharing of emerging pathogens and the equitable distribution of pandemic-fighting benefits, such as vaccines. The deadline for the negotiations is May 2025.