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Clare Armstrong, Sharri Markson, wires, News Corp Australia Network
May 18, 2020 6:45pm
“I think the most important thing - rather than apportioning blame to one particular country or another country - is that we get to the bottom of what’s happened,” he said.
“And part of that is about the origin, where this virus came from - as we understand it, to be a zoonotic disease, spread from an animal or animals into humans - I think that’s an important component of it.”
Prof Kelly said he hoped the resolution would be successful.
“There is much that’s happened with this pandemic since the beginning and I think, looking
at the entire way that it has spread so rapidly around the world and what’s happened in different countries in the ways that different countries have approached that problem will be part of that investigation,” he said.
The inquiry motion does not mention the origins of the coronavirus, but does call on the “actions of WHO and their timelines pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic” to be among the issues examined.
It also does not set out a specific method for an inquiry, suggesting using “existing mechanisms” for review as an option.
The review would then make recommendations to “improve global pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response capacity”.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne has also said she is hopeful the motion will pass, marking a major strategic victory for Australia.
“We’re very encouraged by the growing levels of support for the comprehensive World Health Assembly motion,” she said.
China isn’t impressed with Australia’s push for a coronavirus inquiry. Chinese President Xi Jinping. Picture: AFP
The origins of the coronavirus pandemic - including which animals it passed through before infecting humans - will be examined if the world leaders back the comprehensive draft resolution co-sponsored by Australia.
Ms Payne has confirmed the virus’ source would not escape international scrutiny, despite the wording of a motion demanding the World Health Organisation conduct a review of the coronavirus not specifically mentioning its origins.
Ms Payne said the draft resolution being put forward at the World Health Assembly by the European Union on Monday night was a “very comprehensive piece of work”.
“It sets out a whole range of steps that need to be taken in relation to COVID-19, a review amongst them, an examination of the origins of the coronavirus itself as well,” she said.
A motion in the draft resolution requests WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus work closely with the World Organisation for Animal Health, the Food
and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and countries to “identify the zoonotic source of the virus”.
The motion also requests an examination of “the route of introduction to the human population, including the possible role of intermediate hosts”.
To discover its origins WHO should conduct “scientific and collaborative field missions” to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection in animals and humans.
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne. Picture: AAP
Ms Payne also revealed Australia specifically requested the international coronavirus review be described as “impartial, independent and comprehensive” in the motion drafted by the EU.
“They are three factors which we particularly have sought,” she said.
Ms Payne said she was confident the World Health Organisation had capacity to conduct the review in a way that it did not escape appropriate scrutiny itself.
“The Prime Minister and I have also discussed a number of mechanisms within the WHO, including their independent oversight advisory body, which has the capacity to do some of this work,” she said.
“But that is to be determined after the resolution is dealt with by the World Health Assembly.”
Ms Payne said Australia was “very aware” the review’s timing would depend on how other countries were coping with the pandemic.
“There are countries around the world, including some of those who have been prepared to co-sponsor or sign up to this resolution who are still dealing with some of the most difficult aspects of the response,” she said.
“They are at the peak level of the crisis, and some are yet to experience that level.
“There is a strong view that it is appropriate to engage in a review of what has happened in the pandemic, the impact it has had, to ensure basically that we learn those lessons and it doesn’t happen again.”
116 NATIONS BACK VIRUS PROBE
Their comments come after more than 100 countries have signed up to support Australia’s call for an international COVID-19 inquiry at the World Health Assembly.
The EU draft resolution now has 116 co-sponsors, after the entire African Group and it’s member states joined the initial list of 62 countries, which included Australia, Russia, the UK and Japan.
The countries now backing the inquiry are Albania, Australia, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bhutan, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, the African Group and its Member States, the European Union and its Member States, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The demand for an “impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation” of the international health response to COVID-19 is expected to be the most controversial motion.
It tasks World Health Organisation director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus with launching the evaluation “at the earliest appropriate moment” to review the “lessons learned” from the deadly pandemic.
The Australian government does not expect China to oppose an inquiry into the origins of coronavirus on Tuesday, senior Morrison government sources said.
A medical worker takes a swab sample from a resident to be tested for the COVID-19 coronavirus, in a street in Wuhan, China. Picture: AFP
Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne said there was “positive support” for an independent review into the pandemic to help the world “learn the lessons necessary to protect global health”.
“This is about collaborating to equip the international community to better prevent or counter the next pandemic and keep our citizens safe,” Ms Payne said.
“Australia and a significant number of countries are co-sponsoring the EU-led resolution, which includes a call for an impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation, to be presented at this week’s World Health Assembly meeting.”
The resolution also calls for global co-operation and collaboration to step up at “all levels” to “contain, control and mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic”.
COVID-19 Australia at a glance
New Daily Cases8
25-Jan
17-May
States & Territories
NSW 3076 / 46 VIC 1561 / 18
QLD 1054 / 6 WA 552 / 9
SA 439 / 4 TAS 226 / 13
ACT 107 / 3 NT 29 / 0
Confirmed
7,044
Active
551
Recovered
6,394
Deaths
99
COVID-19 Around the world
Confirmed
4,727,625
Active
2,673,233
Recovered
1,739,003
Deaths
315,389
Source - World Health Organization, Australian Government, AAP, Reuters, Johns Hopkins, other media
It specifically highlights a need to provide people with “reliable and comprehensive information” about the coronavirus and measures being taken by authorities in response to the pandemic.
With conspiracy theories and fake miracle cures for COVID-19 increasingly spreading online, the resolution asks countries to counter “malicious cyber activities” peddling this misinformation.
The EU motion recognises the critical role of “extensive immunisation” against COVID-19 as a “global public good for health” once a safe, effective and affordable vaccine is available.
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/c...y/news-story/d09e8b4ef61da22f34c258212f74adf6
May 18, 2020 6:45pm
- 116 countries back coronavirus probe
- 10 million-plus telehealth services conducted
- Australia has had 7060 confirmed cases, with 700 active cases
- Invitation for meeting with China goes unanswered
“I think the most important thing - rather than apportioning blame to one particular country or another country - is that we get to the bottom of what’s happened,” he said.
“And part of that is about the origin, where this virus came from - as we understand it, to be a zoonotic disease, spread from an animal or animals into humans - I think that’s an important component of it.”
Prof Kelly said he hoped the resolution would be successful.
“There is much that’s happened with this pandemic since the beginning and I think, looking
at the entire way that it has spread so rapidly around the world and what’s happened in different countries in the ways that different countries have approached that problem will be part of that investigation,” he said.
The inquiry motion does not mention the origins of the coronavirus, but does call on the “actions of WHO and their timelines pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic” to be among the issues examined.
It also does not set out a specific method for an inquiry, suggesting using “existing mechanisms” for review as an option.
The review would then make recommendations to “improve global pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response capacity”.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne has also said she is hopeful the motion will pass, marking a major strategic victory for Australia.
“We’re very encouraged by the growing levels of support for the comprehensive World Health Assembly motion,” she said.
China isn’t impressed with Australia’s push for a coronavirus inquiry. Chinese President Xi Jinping. Picture: AFP
The origins of the coronavirus pandemic - including which animals it passed through before infecting humans - will be examined if the world leaders back the comprehensive draft resolution co-sponsored by Australia.
Ms Payne has confirmed the virus’ source would not escape international scrutiny, despite the wording of a motion demanding the World Health Organisation conduct a review of the coronavirus not specifically mentioning its origins.
Ms Payne said the draft resolution being put forward at the World Health Assembly by the European Union on Monday night was a “very comprehensive piece of work”.
“It sets out a whole range of steps that need to be taken in relation to COVID-19, a review amongst them, an examination of the origins of the coronavirus itself as well,” she said.
A motion in the draft resolution requests WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus work closely with the World Organisation for Animal Health, the Food
and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and countries to “identify the zoonotic source of the virus”.
The motion also requests an examination of “the route of introduction to the human population, including the possible role of intermediate hosts”.
To discover its origins WHO should conduct “scientific and collaborative field missions” to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection in animals and humans.
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne. Picture: AAP
Ms Payne also revealed Australia specifically requested the international coronavirus review be described as “impartial, independent and comprehensive” in the motion drafted by the EU.
“They are three factors which we particularly have sought,” she said.
Ms Payne said she was confident the World Health Organisation had capacity to conduct the review in a way that it did not escape appropriate scrutiny itself.
“The Prime Minister and I have also discussed a number of mechanisms within the WHO, including their independent oversight advisory body, which has the capacity to do some of this work,” she said.
“But that is to be determined after the resolution is dealt with by the World Health Assembly.”
Ms Payne said Australia was “very aware” the review’s timing would depend on how other countries were coping with the pandemic.
“There are countries around the world, including some of those who have been prepared to co-sponsor or sign up to this resolution who are still dealing with some of the most difficult aspects of the response,” she said.
“They are at the peak level of the crisis, and some are yet to experience that level.
“There is a strong view that it is appropriate to engage in a review of what has happened in the pandemic, the impact it has had, to ensure basically that we learn those lessons and it doesn’t happen again.”
116 NATIONS BACK VIRUS PROBE
Their comments come after more than 100 countries have signed up to support Australia’s call for an international COVID-19 inquiry at the World Health Assembly.
The EU draft resolution now has 116 co-sponsors, after the entire African Group and it’s member states joined the initial list of 62 countries, which included Australia, Russia, the UK and Japan.
The countries now backing the inquiry are Albania, Australia, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bhutan, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, the African Group and its Member States, the European Union and its Member States, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The demand for an “impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation” of the international health response to COVID-19 is expected to be the most controversial motion.
It tasks World Health Organisation director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus with launching the evaluation “at the earliest appropriate moment” to review the “lessons learned” from the deadly pandemic.
The Australian government does not expect China to oppose an inquiry into the origins of coronavirus on Tuesday, senior Morrison government sources said.
A medical worker takes a swab sample from a resident to be tested for the COVID-19 coronavirus, in a street in Wuhan, China. Picture: AFP
Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne said there was “positive support” for an independent review into the pandemic to help the world “learn the lessons necessary to protect global health”.
“This is about collaborating to equip the international community to better prevent or counter the next pandemic and keep our citizens safe,” Ms Payne said.
“Australia and a significant number of countries are co-sponsoring the EU-led resolution, which includes a call for an impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation, to be presented at this week’s World Health Assembly meeting.”
The resolution also calls for global co-operation and collaboration to step up at “all levels” to “contain, control and mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic”.
COVID-19 Australia at a glance
New Daily Cases8
25-Jan
17-May
States & Territories
NSW 3076 / 46 VIC 1561 / 18
QLD 1054 / 6 WA 552 / 9
SA 439 / 4 TAS 226 / 13
ACT 107 / 3 NT 29 / 0
Confirmed
7,044
Active
551
Recovered
6,394
Deaths
99
COVID-19 Around the world
Confirmed
4,727,625
Active
2,673,233
Recovered
1,739,003
Deaths
315,389
Source - World Health Organization, Australian Government, AAP, Reuters, Johns Hopkins, other media
It specifically highlights a need to provide people with “reliable and comprehensive information” about the coronavirus and measures being taken by authorities in response to the pandemic.
With conspiracy theories and fake miracle cures for COVID-19 increasingly spreading online, the resolution asks countries to counter “malicious cyber activities” peddling this misinformation.
The EU motion recognises the critical role of “extensive immunisation” against COVID-19 as a “global public good for health” once a safe, effective and affordable vaccine is available.
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/c...y/news-story/d09e8b4ef61da22f34c258212f74adf6
