Members of the White House coronavirus taskforce are blaming China and the World Health Organization (WHO) for a delayed response to the coronavirus outbreak.
“You really have to go back and ask yourself, ‘Why wasn’t there this level of transparency when this virus exploded?’ Dr. Deborah Birx said during an appearance on ABC’s “The View” On Wednesday.
She added, “I think people would have prepared differently if they had known the level of transmissibility of this virus.”
Watch the video below:
Dr. Deborah Birx says China and WHO were late in warning about human-to-human transmission of the coronavirus.
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) April 15, 2020
"People would have prepared differently if they had known the level of transmissibility of this virus," she tells @TheView. https://t.co/H0Sr0mfsTM pic.twitter.com/MKD4e63pSP
Birx’s comments come a day after President Donald Trump said the U.S. would cut off its funding to the WHO. “The WHO failed in this basic duty and must be held accountable,” Trump said during a press conference on Tuesday.
The WHO has been criticized by some lawmakers for not investigating Chinese official’s claims about the virus in the early days of the outbreak.
As Birx said, in the early days of outbreaks, “you have to increase your level of reporting and transparency.”
She explained, “Because it’s a new disease, every word and every experience that you have becomes very critical.”
Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) called for the head of the WHO to testify before the Senate about his organization’s response to the outbreak. And Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) called for an investigation of the organization and accused it of helping China “cover-up” information about the virus, as IJR has previously reported.
While the WHO has been criticized for not pressing for more transparency from China, officials at the organization defended its response and said it does not have the authority to investigate beyond the information it is given.