India 'fully supports' WHO call for China to share comprehensive data on COVID-19 origin

New Delhi, April 2: After World Health Organization (WHO) released the global study on the origin of Covid-19, India said that it fully supports the WHO chief Director-General Tedros Adhanom's expectation that future collaborative studies will include more timely and comprehensive data sharing. It has also raised concerns over China's delaying tactics and lack of access to "complete, original data and samples".

 

Tedros who was accused of being bias towards China had raised concerns about China's refusal to share raw data about early COVID-19 cases. "In my discussions with the team, they expressed the difficulties they encountered in accessing raw data. I expect future collaborative studies to include more timely and comprehensive data sharing," he said.

"Although the team has concluded that a laboratory leak is the least likely hypothesis, this requires further investigation, potentially with additional missions involving specialist experts, which I am ready to deploy," Tedros added.

 

 

Official Spokesperson from the Ministry of External Affairs Arindam Bagchi said that the report represents an important first step in establishing the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. "It has listed four pathways concerning the emergence of the disease but has stressed the need for next-phase studies across the region. The report also stresses the need for further data and studies to reach robust conclusions," he said.

 

"It is pertinent to note that the Director-General of the WHO has separately raised the issue of delays and difficulties in accessing raw data for the team conducting the study. We fully support the Director General's expectation that future collaborative studies will include more timely and comprehensive data sharing. In this connection, we also welcome his readiness to deploy additional missions," he added.

 

 

Bagchi said that New Delhi joins stakeholders in voicing their expectations that follow up to the WHO Report or further studies, including "on an understanding of the earliest human cases and clusters by the WHO on this critical issue, will receive the fullest cooperation of all concerned."

 

China on Wednesday had accused the the other international platforms of politicizing the matter and had said to trace the "source of the coronavirus" and should start looking for clues in other countries.