AP: U.S.: WHO not sharing enough info about China virus probe
“A senior U.S. government official complained Tuesday that the World Health Organization has not shared enough information about its planned mission to China to investigate the animal origins of the coronavirus. Garrett Grisby of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services griped that the criteria for WHO’s China mission had not been shared with other nations. He spoke during a weeklong meeting of the U.N. health agency’s member countries…” (Keaten/Cheng, 11/11).

AP: Recordings reveal WHO’s analysis of pandemic in private
“…With its annual meeting underway this week, WHO has been sharply criticized for not taking a stronger and more vocal role in handling the pandemic. For example, in private internal meetings in the early days of the virus, top scientists described some countries’ approaches as ‘an unfortunate laboratory to study the virus’ and a ‘macabre’ opportunity to see what worked, recordings obtained by the Associated Press show. Yet in public, the U.N. health agency lauded governments for their responses…” (Cheng et al., 11/11).

Devex: Germany sick of ‘déjà vu’ in WHO financing battle
“Germany is hoping to draw on momentum around the global COVID-19 response in order to address the World Health Organization’s longstanding funding woes, and is pushing for an agenda on sustainable financing at the WHO executive board’s meeting in 2021. … Much of the organization’s funding also comes from a few donors, leaving it vulnerable to shocks should a donor withdraw funding…” (Chadwick/Ravelo, 11/11).

Reuters: U.S. denounces terms for WHO-led inquiry into COVID origins
“The United States, which has accused China of having hidden the extent of its coronavirus outbreak, called on Tuesday for a ‘transparent and inclusive’ WHO-led international investigation into the origin of the pandemic, criticizing its current terms. … Tedros revealed the team’s composition on Tuesday, telling the WHO annual ministerial meeting: ‘These are very respected individuals in their areas.’ Team members came from Russia, Australia, Sudan, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Vietnam, the United Kingdom, and the United States, he said…” (Nebehay, 11/10).