“While they were espousing the talking points of the Chinese Communist Party about the Wuhan virus, they also provided them cover” is what Chris@Oak — who is a reader of The Gate — wrote about the World Health Organization in the Comments section of this article pertaining to the current 2019 Novel Coronavirus pandemic, which is titled Face Covering? No Face Mask? Why Seemingly Conflicting Information From Two Reliable Sources. “The director general tried to appoint Mughabe to a position of authority. Better yet, he lied and down played cholera epidemics.”
Process Begins for United States to Withdraw Membership From World Health Organization
The president of the United States apparently agrees with the sentiment that the World Health Organization has bungled in its responsibility to the world at large — and has done so for months. “The W.H.O. really blew it” is what Donald J. Trump wrote in this message at his official personal Twitter account back on Tuesday, April 7, 2020. “For some reason, funded largely by the United States, yet very China centric. We will be giving that a good look. Fortunately I rejected their advice on keeping our borders open to China early on. Why did they give us such a faulty recommendation?”
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1247540701291638787
Trump also remarked on Friday, May 29, 2020 that “China has total control over the World Health Organization, despite only paying $40 million per year compared to what the United States has been paying, which is approximately $450 million a year.” Trump also claimed that “Chinese officials ignored their reporting obligations to the World Health Organization and pressured the World Health Organization to mislead the world when the virus was first discovered by Chinese authorities.”
According to Trump, the United States had “detailed the reforms” that the World Health Organization “must make and engage with them directly, but they have refused to act. Because they have failed to make the requested and greatly needed reforms, we will be today terminating our relationship with the World Health Organization and redirecting those funds to other worldwide and deserving, urgent, global public health needs.”
The United States currently owes $99,168,375.00 in United States dollars to the World Health Organization, according to this official statement of account of the World Health Organization as of Friday, January 31, 2020.
“WHO experts will travel to China to work together with their Chinese counterparts to prepare scientific plans for identifying the zoonotic source of the SARS-COV-2 virus. The experts will develop the scope and TOR for a WHO-led international mission”, according to this official statement, which was coincidentally released earlier today from the World Health Organization. “Identifying the origin of emerging viral disease has proven complex in past epidemics in different countries. A well planned series of scientific researches will advance the understanding of animal reservoirs and the route of transmission to humans. The process is an evolving endeavor which may lead to further international scientific research and collaboration globally.”
Furthermore, an official letter was sent earlier today, Tuesday, July 7, 2020 from the United States to the United Nations — of which the World Health Organization is the directing and coordinating authority for health — stating that the formal process for withdrawal of membership has officially started and is expected to be effective as of Tuesday, July 6, 2021.
“Congress received notification that POTUS officially withdrew the U.S. from the @WHO in the midst of a pandemic” is what Robert Menendez — who is a member of the Democratic party and is the senior of two senators who represents New Jersey — wrote in this message at his official Twitter account earlier today. “To call Trump’s response to COVID chaotic & incoherent doesn’t do it justice. This won’t protect American lives or interests—it leaves Americans sick & America alone.”
Congress received notification that POTUS officially withdrew the U.S. from the @WHO in the midst of a pandemic.
To call Trump’s response to COVID chaotic & incoherent doesn't do it justice. This won't protect American lives or interests—it leaves Americans sick & America alone.
— Senator Bob Menendez (@SenatorMenendez) July 7, 2020
Also opposed to the withdrawal is the American Medical Association, as illustrated in this official statement which was released earlier today. “The Trump administration’s official withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) puts the health of our country at grave risk. As leading medical organizations, representing hundreds of thousands of physicians, we join in strong opposition to this decision, which is a major setback to science, public health, and global coordination efforts needed to defeat COVID-19.”
Whether the United States has met all the conditions for withdrawal from the World Health Organization is unknown at the time this article was written. Moreover, whether a president of the United States has the unilateral authority to withdraw the country from the World Health Organization without congressional approval is unclear.
Summary
I firmly believe that the current 2019 Novel Coronavirus pandemic was grossly mishandled by the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, world leaders and politicians, and the irresponsible reporting by much of the media — all of whom are complicit in contributing to what has become mass hysteria of a virus which should have been contained in the first place…
…and although the horse already left the stable and the train already left the station — pick a metaphor of your choosing — is the withdrawal of the United States from the World Health Organization a wise idea? Could saving $450 million per year be put to better use and benefit the United States in better ways; or will the United States only be worse off, ceding political prowess to China, and jeopardizing the lives of residents of the United States to access to vaccines? The full ramifications of withdrawal are still yet to be know at the time this article was written.
I wish there was a truly neutral independent nonprofit health organization — devoid of greed, politics, and religious beliefs — which operates efficiently and puts the needs of the citizens of the world first and foremost.
Perhaps if that mythical organization actually existed and did its job properly, travel might likely have continued uninterrupted into and through the year 2020…
Photograph ©2020 by Brian Cohen.
