Virus likely of animal origin
The World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday that all available evidence suggests the novel coronavirus originated in animals in China late last year and was not manipulated or produced in a laboratory.
US President Donald Trump said last week that his government was trying to determine whether the virus emanated from a lab in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus pandemic emerged in December.
"All available evidence suggests the virus has an animal origin and is not manipulated or constructed in a lab or somewhere else," WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib told a Geneva news briefing. "It is probable, likely, that the virus is of animal origin."
It was not clear, Chaib added, how the virus had jumped the species barrier to humans but there had "certainly" been an intermediate animal host. "It most likely has its ecological reservoir in bats but how the virus came from bats to humans is still to be seen and discovered."
She did not respond to a request to elaborate on whether it was possible the virus may have inadvertently escaped from a lab. The Wuhan Institute of Virology has dismissed rumours both that it synthesized the virus or allowed it to escape.
Chaib, asked about the impact of Trump's decision last week to suspend funding to the UN agency over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, said: "We are still assessing the situation about the announcement by President Trump ...and we will assess the situation and we will work with our partners to fill any gaps."
"It is very important to continue what we are doing not only for Covid but for many, many, many, many other health programmes," she added, referring to action against polio, HIV and malaria among other diseases.
She said that the WHO was 81 percent funded for the next two years as of the end of March, referring to its $4.8 billion biennial budget. The United States is the Geneva-based agency's biggest donor. Other big contributors are the Gates Foundation and Britain, reports Reuters.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday said there were no secrets at the UN agency after being blasted by the US.
"We have been warning from day one that this is a devil that everyone should fight," Tedros told a virtual briefing in Geneva on Monday.
IMMIGRATION BAN
Trump said Monday that he would temporarily suspend immigration to the United States because of the coronavirus pandemic.
"In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!" he tweeted Monday night.
In hard-hit Europe, several countries are cautiously creeping out from confinement measures, buoyed by mounting signs the worst of the virus may be behind them, reports AFP.
Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Germany was "still a long way from being out of the woods," as she allowed smaller shops from florists to fashion stores to reopen.
There were also encouraging signs in other major European countries such as Italy, France and Britain, although authorities warned citizens against letting their guard down.
Ghana became the first African country to lift coronavirus restrictions, sparking a mixed reaction on streets in Accra teeming with citizens after a three-week lockdown.
But others were furious the restrictions had been lifted so early. "This is totally ridiculous. How is it possible?" asked 20-year-old student Francis Collison.
WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific Takeshi Kasai said lockdown measures have proved effective, and people must be ready for a new way of living to allow society to function while the coronavirus is being kept in check.
Governments considering lifting lockdown measures should do so carefully and in stages, and continue to monitor the epidemic situation, he said. So long as the coronavirus is circulating, no country is safe from a potentially overwhelming outbreak, he said.
Singapore yesterday extended restrictions until early June, the city-state's leader said, as cases surged past 9,000 due to a growing number of infections among migrant workers.
The virus has sent the aviation sector into a tailspin with cash-strapped Virgin Australia announcing yesterday it had entered voluntary administration -- the largest airline so far to collapse.
"I am so proud of you and everything we have achieved together," said British tycoon Richard Branson in support of Virgin Australia, in which he owns a 10-percent stake.
The UN's World Food Programme warned yesterday that the pandemic could nearly double the number of people around the world facing acute hunger.
"The number of people facing acute food insecurity stands to rise to 265 million in 2020, up by 130 million from the 135 million in 2019, as a result of the economic impact of Covid-19," the WFP said its projections had shown.
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