Did three weeks elapse before the WHO confirmed the contagiousness of the coronavirus after first learning about an outbreak in Wuhan?
On June 30, the WHO updated its previous statements about the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, noting it was first alerted to a new "viral pneumonia" on Dec. 31, 2019. It shared a series of updates with public health authorities and the public before it acknowledged on Jan. 21 that there was confirmed evidence of "at least some" human-to-human transmission" of the virus.
A report by GOP members of a House Committee reviewing the response by Chinese authorities questions the reasons for the delay, and is critical of the WHO's top leadership for what it says could be deference to the Chinese government. "Either the WHO willfully ignored their experts, or they deferred to [Chinese political] pressure," the report says. Its authors said the WHO had not responded to their questions.
