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New Delhi: Republican members of the US House Committee on Oversight and Reforms have written a scathing letter to World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, accusing the global health watchdog of “taking its cues from China” despite the country “underreporting” its Covid-19 figures.

In the letter dated 9 April 2020, the lawmakers citing “media reports” have accused the United Nations agency of helping Beijing in disseminating propaganda and downplaying the extent of the pandemic.

The Committee on Oversight and Reform is the main investigative committee in the US House of Representatives.

Looks like @DrTedros’ time is up. In a scathing letter to the @WHO the US house committee on oversight & reforms & called out his zealous defence of China & demanded all pertinent communication between the WHO & China to be handed over pic.twitter.com/IEwxDJtWG7 — Abhijit Iyer-Mitra (@Iyervval) April 13, 2020

Accusing China of disinformation, the letter also says Beijing not only underreported the extent of Covid-19 cases but also the number of deaths due to the virus. It further says that China gagged journalists and doctors trying to speak the truth about Covid-19 in the country.

Referring to US President Donald Trump’s travel restrictions from China, the members have said that “in comparison to the WHO’s inaction, the President’s actions saved lives”.

To understand WHO’s efforts in battling Covid-19 and its relationship with China, the committee has now asked for some documents by 16 April.

These include all documents and communications related to Covid-19 and public health between China and the WHO from August 2019 till present day, and the total number of infected and deceased persons due to Covid-19 in China, “including those infected but asymptomatic”.

They have also demanded all documents and communications on Covid-19 and public health between Taiwan and WHO.

The letter, signed by all Republican members of the committee, also lists how WHO sided with China and “mismanaged” the Covid-19 pandemic — first by allegedly denying human to human transmission of the virus, and then by not stating early on that it was a public health emergency of international concern.

Thirdly, the letter says, WHO delayed measures such as travel restrictions to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. Finally, WHO continually praised China in combating Covid-19 despite its “cover-up”, it adds.

While the Committee on Oversight and Reforms has 23 Democrat and 17 Republican members, the letter does not have the signature of a single Democratic member.

Also read: US, UK speed up repatriation of citizens from locked down India, Germany, France halt process

US and WHO

US President Trump and senior members of his administration have often referred to Covid-19 as the “Chinese virus”. Last week, Trump even threatened to put a hold on America’s funding to the WHO, accusing the UN agency of becoming China-centric during the ongoing pandemic.

Responding to Trump’s announcement, WHO Chief Ghebreyesus had urged world leaders to focus on saving lives and argued that political attacks would only lead to “more body bags“.

“Please do not politicise this virus,” he had said. “If you want to be exploited and if you want to have many more body bags, then you do it. If you don’t want many more body bags, then you refrain from politicizing it.”

Apart from the US, Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso had also said WHO should be renamed as the “Chinese Health Organization” as he accused the global health watchdog of toeing the China line on the coronavirus pandemic.

Also read: China clamps down on research tracing Covid-19 origins, will strictly scrutinise all papers

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