Asummary:Tedros’shiftinggroundstowardsCovidorigintracingandwhat’slikelybehindit_GuangmingOnlineAsummary:Tedros’shiftinggroundstowardsCovidorigintracingandwhat’slikelybehinditAccordingtoaReutersreportreleasedonMay3,TedrosAdhanomGhebreyesus,Director-GeneraloftheWorldHealthOrganization(WHO),planstorunforasecondfive-yeartermastheheadoftheagency,citingapersonfamiliarwiththematter.Dr.Tedros,whowaselectedastheDirector-GeneraloftheWHOforafive-yeartermbyWHOMemberStatesatthe70thWorldHealthAssembly(WHA)inMay2017,hadhisglobalprofiledramaticallyrisenforleadingtheworld’sbattleagainsttheCovid-19pandemicsinceitsoutbreakin2019.EARLYDAYSWhenthecoronavirusbrokeoutinChina,thecountryinformedtheWHOandtheinternationalcommunityinatimely,open,transparentandresponsiblemannerevensincetheearlystage.NotonlydidChinaswiftlyadoptseriousmeasurestocontrolthevirus,butalsocooperatedandsharedtimelyinformationincludinggenomesequenceofthecoronavirus,detectionandtreatmentprotocols,etc.,contributinggreatlyinadvancingscientificunderstandingofthevirusandthedevelopmentofmedicalcountermeasuresworldwide.AsearlyasJan.18-19,2020,ChinainvitedWHOdelegationonafieldvisittoWuhanCityofcentralChina’sHubeiProvince,wheretheylearntabouttheresponsetonovelcoronavirus.TheWHOdelegationhighlyappreciatedtheactionsChinahadimplementedinresponsetotheoutbreak,itsspeedinidentifyingthevirusandopennesstosharinginformationwithWHOandothercountries.Dr.TedroshaslaudedChina’seffortafterthevisitonnumerousoccasions,notingthat“weappreciatetheseriousnesswithwhichChinaistakingthisoutbreak,especiallythecommitmentfromtopleadership,andthetransparencytheyhavedemonstrated,includingsharingdataandgeneticsequenceofthevirus.”CHANGEOFWINDWithstrictandefficientmeasurestaken,ChinahaslargelycontainedthecoronavirusbyMay2020,withdailyCovidconfirmedcaseslessthanahundred,whiletheUS,onthecontrary,wassufferingfromasurgingofCovidcasesofmorethantenthousandeveryday.Toshiftattention,theTrumpadministrationwentaccusingDr.TedrosandtheWHOofbeing“China-centric”,andhaltedUScontributionswhilestartingtheprocessofleavingtheagency.LawrenceGostin,alongtimeWHOadviser,commentedtheactionasa“blackmail”.Afewmonthslater,asTrumpwasvotedoutofoffice,theBidenadministrationannouncedimmediatelyinJanuary2021thattheUSwouldremainamemberoftheWHOandfulfilitsfinancialobligationswhileworkingon“reforms”.OUTOFRULESMeantime,ajointteamconsistingoftopinternationalandChineseexpertswassentbytheWHOtoWuhaninmissionofconductingajointresearchfor28daysfromJan.14toFeb.10inChina.TedrosshowedhisfullconfidenceinthisresearchonJan.18,sayingthat“nooneshouldbeinanydoubtthatthisisascientificexercise.”OnFeb.17,USSecretaryofStateAntonyBlinkenaffirmedtheUNSecurityCouncilduringavideoconferencethattheywouldpaythemorethan$200millionitowedtotheWHObytheendofthemonth.“ItreflectsourrenewedcommitmenttoensuringtheWHOhasthesupportitneedstoleadtheglobalresponsetothepandemicevenasweworktoreformitforthefuture,”hesaid.Withthepaymentmadeornotyettobeknown,wedidwitnessaturnaroundinDr.TedrosandtheWHOsecretariat’sattitudeeversince.Dr.TedroswasfounddistancedfromthefindingsoftheWHO-ledjointteam.ThereportwasreleasedonMarch30,concludingthatlableakis“extremelyunlikely”,andrecommendedconductingfurtherresearcharoundearliercasesgloballyandfurtherunderstandingtheroleofcoldchainsandfrozenfoodsinthetransmissionofthevirus.Yetonthesameday,whenmakingremarksattheMemberStateBriefingonthereportoftheinternationalteamstudyingtheoriginsofSARS-CoV-2,Dr.Tedrossurprisedtheworldbyrevivingthelableaktheory,atheorythattheBidenadministrationwasmostkeenon,intotaldefianceofthescientificwork.“Althoughtheteamhasconcludedthatalaboratoryleakistheleastlikelyhypothesis,thisrequiresfurtherinvestigation,potentiallywithadditionalmissionsinvolvingspecialistexperts,whichIamreadytodeploy,”Tedrossaid,“asfarasWHOisconcerned,allhypothesesremainonthetable.”AnanonymousexpertontheWHO-Chinajointteamonthevirusoriginstracingwas“surprisedandunsatisfied”byTedros’comment,callinghim“extremelyirresponsible”forpursuingthe“lableak”theory.POLITICSTAINTEDMay23thisyear,anexclusivereporttitled“IntelligenceonSickStaffatWuhanLabFuelsDebateonCovid-19Origin”waspublishedonTheWallStreetJournaljustadaybeforetheWorldHealthAssembly,sendingthelableaktheorytothemainstream.Themotivatedarticleusedonly‘recycled’contentfrom2019andlackedadecisiveorcoherentprimarysource.Moreover,oneofitsauthors,MichaelR.Gordon,wasbestknownforhisfakeIraqreportclaimingthatSaddamHusseinheldWeaponsofMassDestruction,whichplayedakeyroleinraisingpublicsupportfortheIraqWar,endingupwithcountlessinnocentliveswasted.Threedayslater,USPresidentJoeBidenannouncedthathehasorderedacloserintelligencereviewofwhathesaidweretwoequallyplausiblescenariosesoftheoriginsoftheCovid-19pandemic,anddemandedareportbacktohimwithin90days.Twoweekslater,TedrossaidonJuly15thatinvestigationsintotheoriginsoftheCOVID-19pandemicinChinawerebeinghamperedbythelackofrawdataonthefirstdaysofspreadthereandurgedittobemoretransparent.Onedaylater,TedrosproposedasecondphaseofstudiesintotheoriginsofthecoronavirusinChina,includingauditsoflaboratoriesandmarketsinWuhan,callingfortransparencyfromauthorities,whentheyhaditallalong.What’salsoworththeattentionisthatunlikethefirstphase,theSecretariatistoestablishapermanentInternationalScientificAdvisoryGroupforOriginsofNovelPathogens(SAGO),whichwillplay“avitalrole”inthenextphaseofstudiesintotheoriginsofSARS-CoV-2,aswellastheoriginsoffuturenewpathogens.AGAINSTTHEDARKByJuly16,48countrieshavesentletterstotheWHOopposingthepoliticizationoftheprobeontheoriginsofthevirus,urgingtheorganizationtoactaccordingtotheresolutionmadebytheWHAandpushforwardtheglobalprobeonthetraceabilityofthevirus.ByJuly20,atotalof55countrieshavesubmittedletterstotheWHODirector-GeneralconcerningtheCOVID-19originsstudy.ByAug.3,atotalof70countrieshavevoicedoppositiontopoliticizingoriginstracingandemphasizedtheimportanceofupholdingthejointChina-WHOstudyreportviasendingletterstotheWHODirector-Generalandissuingstatements.……Uptonow,Chinahasactivelyparticipatedinglobalcooperationinthisareawithanopenandscience-basedattitude.ChinahastwiceinvitedWHOexpertstothecountryforjointresearchinorigin-tracing.Chinahasinvestedtremendousefforts,achievedimportantoutcomesandreachedauthoritativeconclusions.Uptonow,noevidencehaseverfoundthatsamplesofthenewcoronavirushadbeenstoredattheWuhanInstituteofVirologypriortoDecember2019.NorecordshaveeverindicatedthatvirusescloselyrelatedtothenewcoronaviruswerekeptinanyChineselabbeforeDecember2019.NoneofthestaffinanyWuhanlabsstudyingcoronaviruseshasreportedcasesofrespiratoryillnesses“duringtheweeks/monthspriortoDecember2019”.Additionally,uptonow,asfurtherstudiescarriedoutworldwide,moreandmoreevidenceofcoronavirusinfectionsbeforetheoutbreakinChinahasemergedworldwide,includingSpain,Italy,France,theUS,Brazil,etc.,suggestingthatthenovelcoronavirushadlikelyspreadgloballymonthsbeforeit’sknown.Effortsshouldbemadetoadvanceoriginsstudyinvariouscountriesandregionsacrosstheworld.Yetevennow,TedrosandtheWHOSecretariatstillchoosetomakerepeatingwhathasalreadybeenconcludedduringthefirstphaseoftheoriginstudiesitsfirstpriority.HereisafulltimelineofhowDr.TedrosreactedonCovid-19origintracing.Editor:DisclaimerTheviewsandopinionsexpressedinthisarticlearethoseoftheauthor's,GMW.cnmakesnorepresentationsastoaccuracy,suitability,orvalidityofanyinformationonthissiteandwillnotbeliableforanyerrors,omissions,ordelaysinthisinformation.