we know the loss and disruption caused
by kovid19
we know how to make vaccines to tackle
it but we still know very little about
how it started
that caused frustration last year it
would seem entirely reasonable and
sensible
that the world would want to have an
independent assessment
of how this all occurred so we can learn
the lessons
and prevent it from happening again now
after a visit to china
a team from the un's world health
organization has released its latest
conclusions
and there's dissatisfaction i don't
trust this report i think it's the best
report
the world health organization could
produce the us
goes further we've expressed our
concerns regarding the need for full
transparency
and access from china and the who to all
information
regarding the earliest days of the
pandemic
the search for kobit 19's origin story
goes on
and after more than a year why don't we
know more about what happened in wuhan
well one reason is the science is hard
this article in nature in november asks
where did covert come from
and quotes a virologist who says finding
an animal with covid19 infection is like
looking for a needle in the world's
largest haystack they may never find a
smoking bat the task of establishing the
most likely explanation
that the virus moved from an animal to
humans can't be done
overnight and the wh has other theories
to consider
too there is a possibility that
for example a frozen wild animals who
have been
contaminated on the farm somewhere else
could have introduced the virus
in the market in a frozen stage and uh
so it's worth exploring we will see we
don't know we'll see but if that's the
scientific challenge facing the who
then there's its relationship with china
back in january last year there was a
smiling photo op and
praise too i will praise china again
and again because its actions actually
helped
in reducing the spread of
coronavirus to other countries two weeks
earlier the who had sent
its infamous tweet that china had found
no clear evidence of human to human
transmission
and after conversations linked to the
media we know that some of the who
did have doubts about
there's been no china human human
transmission is not
good enough this would not happen in
congo and did not happen in congo in
other places
we need to see the data we need to be
able to determine for ourselves
the geographic distribution the timeline
the epi curve and all of that
um it's absolutely important at this
point we need to see the data
says dr michael ryan but china hasn't
always offered that kind of access
and the who's reaction to that has been
criticized
this headline in indian media references
japan's deputy prime minister calling it
the chinese health organization and
accusing the who of
giving in to china's spin donald trump
went even further than that they're a
puppet of china
they're china-centric to put it nicer
but they're a puppet of china
now china is a major donor but there's
no evidence that the who deliberately
misrepresented the situation
and dr ted ross has been clear we don't
say anything to appease anyone it's
because it's the truth
you don't have to look hard to find
scientists who think the who tried a
gentle approach to illicit cooperation
from china
and its statements have caused concern
one global health professor says
it's definitely damaged who's
credibility it's led to so many
questions about the relationship between
china and the who
it is perhaps a cautionary tale perhaps
it is but perhaps
however the who had played this the
outcome would have been the same
just look how china has tried to stop
its own citizens talking about the virus
do you remember li wen liang he was one
of the first doctors in wuhan to raise
the alarm
he received this letter in return it
said we solemnly warn you
if you keep being stubborn with such
impertinence and continue this illegal
activity
you will be brought to justice is that
understood
he subsequently caught kobit 19 and
shared this picture from hospital
days later he died then there's the
targeting of the journalist
zhang zhan this was an altercation with
police and zhang has talked about
documenting the violence
i have a rebellious soul why couldn't i
film that
i'm just documenting the truth why can't
i show the truth
for this she's been sentenced to four
years in jail her lawyers say she's been
on hunger strike since june
and has been force-fed through a tube
there's also this footage
from a wuhan hospital showing bodies
waiting to be collected
three bodies have been lying here the
whole morning some people are already
dead
until now nobody's come to take care of
them
the authorities took that clip down now
let's be clear
china has consistently defended his
actions this is one of many examples
china as always maintains an open and
transparent attitude
and keeps close contact and cooperation
with the who
in the virus origin tracing but we know
that the desire to control what's
reported
existed at the start and it existed
during the recent who visit
and if that's china's approach and the
who's approach
there's still one other factor and
that's china's changing place in the
world
bear in mind that in 2019 china's gdp
was around 16 percent of the global
economy
and it's growing fast by the end of the
decade its share will have passed
the us and that economic power makes
china
very hard to pressure which is why the
search for what happened in wuhan
is a study in global power think about
what's happened since the end of the
second world war
america has acted with the freedom that
comes with being a superpower
china is starting to do the same
you