The World Health Organization is under fire over its reaction to the coronavirus pandemic, with President Donald Trump suspending US funding to the global body.
Here's a look at what the WHO has said and done about the novel coronavirus outbreak:
- Dec 31, 2019: A day after China reports a cluster of cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, Hubei Province- which is afterwards identified as novel coronavirus infectionsthe WHO sets up an IMST (Incident Management Support Team) across the three levels of the organization: headquarters, regional headquarters and country level.
- Jan 4: The WHO announces that there was a cluster of pneumonia caseswith no deathsin Wuhan, Hubei province, on social media.
- Jan 5: The WHO publishes its first-ever Disease Outbreak News on the new virus, which contains a risk assessment and advice, and reports on what China had told the organization about the status of patients and the public health response.
- Jan 10: The WHO issues a comprehensive package of technical guidance online with advice to all countries on how to detect, test and manage potential cases, based on what was known about the virus at the time.
Based on experience with Sars and Mers and known modes of transmission of respiratory viruses, infection and prevention control guidance was published to protect health workers recommending droplet and contact precautions when caring for patients, and airborne precautions for aerosol-generating procedures conducted by health workers.
- Jan 12: China publicly shares the genetic sequence of Covid-19.
- Jan 13: Officials confirm a case of Covid-19 in Thailand, the first recorded case outside of China.
- Jan 14: WHO's technical lead for the response notes in a press briefing that there may have been limited human-to-human transmission of the coronavirus, mainly through family members. He also says there was a risk of a possible wider outbreak.
The lead says that human-to-human transmission would not be surprising given the experience with Sars, Mers and other respiratory pathogens.
- Jan 20-21: WHO experts from the China and Western Pacific regional offices conduct a brief field visit to Wuhan.
- Jan 22: The WHO mission to China issues a statement saying that there was evidence of human-to-human transmission in Wuhan, however, more investigation was needed to understand the full extent of transmission.
- Jan 22- 23: WHO Director- General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus convenes an Emergency Committee (EC) under the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005) to assess whether the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.
The independent members from around the world can't reach a consensus based on the evidence available at the time and ask to be reconvened within 10 days after receiving more information.
- Jan 28: A senior WHO delegation led by the Director-General travels to Beijing to meet China's leadership, learn more about China's response, and to offer any technical assistance.
While in Beijing, Dr Tedros agrees with Chinese government leaders that an international team of leading scientists would travel to China on a mission to better understand the context, the overall response, and exchange information and experience.
Dr Tedros praise China and its leader, President Xi Jinping, for their reaction to the ongoing outbreak. "Its (China's) actions actually helped prevent the spread of coronavirus to other countries," Dr Tedros said about China. He also said he was "very impressed and encouraged by the President's detailed knowledge of the outbreak".
- Jan 30: The WHO Director-General reconvenes the Emergency Committee (EC). This was earlier than the 10-day period and only two days after the first reports of limited human-to-human transmission were reported outside China.
This time, the EC reached a consensus and advised the Director-General that the outbreak constituted a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
The Director-General accepts the recommendation and declares the novel coronavirus outbreak (2019-nCoV) a PHEIC.
This is only the sixth time the WHO has declared a PHEIC since the International Health Regulations (IHR) came into force in 2005.
- Feb 3: The WHO releases the international community's Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan to help protect states with weaker health systems.
- Feb 11-12: The WHO convenes a Research and Innovation Forum on Covid-19, attended by more than 400 experts and donors from around the world, which includes presentations by Dr George Gao, the Director-General of the China CDC, and Dr Zunyou Wu, China CDC's chief epidemiologist.
- Feb 16-24: The WHO-China Joint mission, which includes experts from Canada, Germany, Japan, Nigeria, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Singapore and the US spends time in Beijing and also travels to Wuhan and two other cities.
They speak with health officials, scientists and health workers in health facilities (while maintaining physical distancing).
- March 11: The WHO makes the assessment that Covid-19 can be characterised as a pandemic.
"WHO has been assessing this outbreak around the clock, and we're deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity and by the alarming levels of inaction," Dr Tedros tells reporters in Geneva.
- March 13: A Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund is launched to receive donations from private individuals, corporations and institutions.
- March 18: The WHO and it partners launch the Solidarity Trial, an international clinical trial that aims to generate robust data from around the world to find the most effective treatments for Covid-19.
- March 20: Taiwan accuses the WHO of failing to communicate an early warning about transmission of the coronavirus between humans.
Taipei said it alerted the WHO at the end of December about the risk of human-to-human transmission of the virus, however, was ignoredapparently due to its strained relationship with China, which claims the island as its own territory.
- April 8: The WHO says despite "positive signs" from some countries, it was too early to scale back measures aimed at containing the coronavirus.
- April 9: The US accuses the WHO of putting politics first by ignoring Taiwanese warnings over China's coronavirus outbreak.
- April 10: The WHO publicly rejects Taiwan's claim that it ignored the early warning about the virus.
- April 13: The WHO says that there are 70 coronavirus vaccines in development globally, with three candidates already being tested in human trials.
- April 14: US President Donald Trump directs his administration to halt funding to the WHO.
- REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, NYTIMES