WHO Presses US to Release COVID Origins Data
The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on the United States to release any intelligence it may have on the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic. The appeal comes even though Washington has formally withdrawn from the UN health agency.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday that understanding how the virus began is crucial to preventing future pandemics. He noted that some countries, including the US, have claimed to possess intelligence about the origins of Covid-19, but none of that information has been shared with the WHO. “We haven’t received any information,” Tedros said, adding that knowing what happened could help the world prepare better for the next outbreak.
The first cases of Covid-19 were detected in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. Since then, the virus has killed an estimated 20 million people worldwide, according to WHO figures, while devastating economies and health systems. Investigations into the origins of the virus remain inconclusive, with all possibilities still under review.
Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s epidemic and pandemic threat management chief, said the agency continues to follow up with governments that claim to have intelligence reports, including the US. “We don’t have those reports to date,” she said, apart from information already in the public domain.
The US officially withdrew from the WHO in January 2025, after President Donald Trump accused the organisation of mishandling the pandemic. His administration embraced the theory that the virus leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan. However, the WHO said Washington left without handing over any intelligence on the matter.
As the withdrawal notice expired on January 22, US officials accused the WHO of obstructing the timely sharing of information that could have saved American lives. They also claimed the organisation had undermined US contributions. The WHO rejected those claims, insisting the opposite was true.
Although the WHO constitution does not include a withdrawal clause, the US reserved the right to leave when it joined in 1948, provided it gave one year’s notice and paid its dues. The notice period has now expired, but Washington still owes around $260 million in unpaid contributions for 2024 and 2025.
Tedros urged any government with intelligence on Covid’s origins to share it, stressing that transparency is vital for global health security.
