The Trump administration on Tuesday began the process of formally withdrawing from the World Health Organization, making good on its vow to revoke support for the embattled agency for botching its response to the coronavirus crisis that’s infected nearly 12 million globally.
Multiple outlets reported that the White House gave notice to the WHO, the first step in what is expected to be a yearlong process of cutting aid to the United Nations-sponsored organization, as the world grapples with a pandemic that’s claims more victims on a daily basis.
New Jersey Democratic Senator Bob Menendez appeared to confirm the move on Twitter, where he joined public health officials in blasting the administration’s actions.
“Not only is this the WORST time do so, in the middle of a global public health emergency, let’s not forget that the U.S. is driving the COVID-19 pandemic with [the number]of infections & deaths,” wrote Leana Wen, a physician and health policy expert at George Washington University, on Twitter. “Collaboration and learning is key,” she added.
The move represented a sharp escalation in an increasingly acrimonious fight between the world’s largest economy and a high-profile international organization that even some proponents acknowledge has mishandled its response to the outbreak. President Donald Trump has been a fierce critic of the agency, accusing its leadership of being too deferential to China as the COVID-19 crisis leapfrogged around the world after being discovered in Wuhan.
However, even those supportive of the agency have faulted the WHO for its handling of the outbreak. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease specialist, said in a recent interview that the agency was “imperfect” but still essential in the fight against global health crises.
The WHO has come under sustained criticism from within the scientific community for being slow to recognize the spread of COVID-19 by people who don’t manifest physical symptoms, as well as resisting evidence of the growing importance of airborne infections. ♦
