The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday called on the United States to share any information it may have about the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the country is officially due to leave the organization in January 2025.
One day after returning to the White House, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order withdrawing the United States from the WHO, effective after a one-year regulatory period. The Trump administration had supported the theory that the virus may have escaped from a virology laboratory in Wuhan, China.
However, Washington has not shared any information with the WHO about the origin of the virus. The organization's Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, reminded reporters at a press conference in Geneva that some countries, and in particular the United States, had publicly claimed to possess information about the origins of the pandemic.
Several months ago, we wrote to senior U.S. officials, urging them to share any information they have. To date, we have received no response,” lamented Mr. Tedros. He added, “We hope they will share their information, because the origins of COVID-19 have not yet been determined. Understanding what happened could help us prevent the next pandemic.”
The Director-General also appealed to all governments with information on the origins of the virus so that the WHO could reach a conclusion, recalling that all research carried out so far has remained inconclusive and that all hypotheses remain open.
Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's lead for epidemic and pandemic threat management, stated: "We will continue to follow up with all governments that have reported having intelligence, including the United States. We do not have any additional reports to date, apart from those already made public."
When the United States' membership in the WHO expired on January 22, US Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. and Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the organization of multiple "failures during the pandemic" and of acting "against the interests of the United States." They argued that the WHO had "hindered the sharing of information that could have saved American lives."
"The opposite is true," retorted the WHO, defending its role and coordination during the pandemic.
