WHO Wants International Team Investigating COVID Origin to Start Work Virtually - Ryan

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th October, 2020) The World Health Organization (WHO) wants to see the international mission, which is being set up to jointly investigate and identify the zoonotic origin of the novel coronavirus, to begin their work virtually before being deployed to China, Mike Ryan, the executive director of the WHO emergencies program, said on Friday.

"We would like the team ... begin work virtually and then deploy at the appropriate time. So we would like to see this international team establish virtually relationship with their counterparts to review the existing data, to review the phase 1 [probe] progress made by Chinese colleagues and then to plan and implement phase 2 and then to deploy to the field at the appropriate type. And I think all of those things are possible in the very near future and we look forward to concluding that process with Chinese colleagues very soon," Ryan said.

He added that the agency shared lists of team members with the Chinese authorities for scientific collaboration.

"We're really really trying to connect the best Chinese scientists with a selection of the best international scientists so we can make progress on this investigation. This is not about WHO or the director general seeking the permission of China for the list of Names. We share as a courtesy to a dialogue around the best team, not as a means of blocking or not blocking individuals or whatever," Ryan stressed.

He also noted that logistics are not a concern either, as the WHO is able to deploy teams within 24 hours.

"The issue is getting that agreement around the final shape of that team," the official explained.