WHO must have rights of access to probe outbreaks: Experts

A health worker inoculates a woman with a dose of the Chinese-made Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine in Piliyandala on the outskirts of Colombo on Wednesday. Pic/AFP

A panel of independent experts who reviewed the World Health Organization's (WHO) response to the Coronavirus pandemic says the UN health agency should be granted "guaranteed rights of access" in countries to investigate emerging outbreaks, a contentious idea that would give it more powers and require member states to give up some of theirs.

In a report released on Wednesday, the panel faulted countries worldwide for their sluggish response to Covid-19, saying most waited to see how the virus was spreading until it was too late to contain it, leading to catastrophic results. The group also slammed the lack of global leadership and restrictive international health laws that "hindered" WHO's response to the pandemic.

Some experts criticised the panel for failing to hold WHO and others accountable for their actions during Covid-19, describing that as "an abdication of responsibility." Lawrence Gostin of Georgetown University said the panel "fails to call out bad actors like China, perpetuating the dysfunctional WHO tradition of diplomacy over frankness, transparency and accountability."

The panel was led by ex-Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and ex-New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, who were tapped by WHO last year to examine the UN agency's response to Covid after bowing to a request from member countries.

Pakistan sees lowest cases since March 16

Pakistan reported the lowest number of Covid-19 cases since March 16 as the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) issued guidelines for Eid-ul Fitr prayers on Tuesday. According to details shared by the NCOC, 3,084 cases were detected and 113 patients died throughout the country in a single day.

Also Read: Covid-19 variant B.1.617 first found in India, detected in 44 countries: WHO

Lanka restricts movement at night

Sri Lanka intensified travel restrictions across the country, restricting movement of traffic at night to combat the third wave of the pandemic that has claimed over 800 lives. The ban, from 11 pm to 4 am daily, will come into place from tonight until May 31, Army chief Gen Shavendra Silva, who heads the Covid combat ops, told the media.

6,43,091
No. of new cases reported globally in the past 24 hours

15,98,23,571
Total no. of cases worldwide

33,20,704
Total no. of deaths worldwide

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