China has not authorized WHO experts to enter and investigation pandemic origin

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday that he is “very disappointed” China has not authorized a team of international experts to enter the country and investigate the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, Reuters reports.

A team of 10 international experts was scheduled to travel to China early this month as part of a mission to discover the origins of the pandemic, Reuters reports. The mission was to be led by Peter Ben Embarek, a senior WHO expert on animal diseases that cross the species barrier.

So far, the team has not been authorized by the Chinese government to make the trip. During an online news conference Tuesday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus explained: “Today we learned that Chinese officials have not yet finalized the necessary permissions for the team’s arrival in China. I have been in contact with senior Chinese officials and I have once again made it clear the mission is a priority for the WHO.”

According to Reuters, Beijing has been trying to control the narrative, saying “more and more studies” show that the virus came from a number of different regions. However, this account by China was described by WHO emergencies chief Mike Ryan as “highly speculative.”

Latest Worthy News