Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
WHO Fielding Blame From More Than Just Trump Over Accusations It Was Too Trusting Of China In Early Days
The New York Times: Trump Slammed The W.H.O. Over Coronavirus. He’s Not Alone.
President Trump unleashed a tirade against the World Health Organization on Tuesday, accusing it of acting too slowly to sound the alarm about the coronavirus. It was not the first time in this pandemic that the global health body has faced such criticism. Government officials, health experts and analysts have in recent weeks raised concerns about how the organization has responded to the outbreak. In Japan, Taro Aso, the deputy prime minister and finance minister, recently noted that some people have started referring to the World Health Organization as the “Chinese Health Organization” because of what he described as its close ties to Beijing. (Hernandez, 4/8)
Stat: WHO's Coronavirus Response Guided By Rules The U.S. Helped Write
Once again, the World Health Organization finds itself in the crosshairs — the target of harsh criticism this week from President Trump. It is a position the global health agency has found itself in frequently. Sometimes it has deserved criticism, as when it was slow to recognize the seriousness of the West Africa Ebola outbreak in 2014. But more often, it draws blame because it’s an easy target – an international body that seems to have more power than it actually does. (Branswell, 4/8)
NBC News: White House Working On Plan To Cut Aid To WHO
The White House's Office of Management and Budget is working on a possible plan to cut U.S. aid to the World Health Organization, administration officials said Wednesday, as President Donald Trump tries to deflect blame for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Administration officials said they also plan to look into the timeline of the WHO's reaction to the coronavirus after it first appeared in China, as well as "links" to China. "What the WHO knew and how it reacted to that knowledge is relevant to the U.S. government's response to the crisis," a senior administration official said. (Welker, Lee, Williams and Mitchell, 4/8)
The Associated Press: UN Health Agency On Defensive After Trump Slams It On Virus
In a heartfelt plea for unity, the World Health Organization’s chief sought Wednesday to rise above sharp criticism and threats of funding cuts from U.S. President Donald Trump over the agency’s response to the coronavirus outbreak. The vocal defense from the WHO director-general came a day after Trump blasted the U.N. agency for being “China-centric” and alleging that it had “criticized” his ban of travel from China as the COVID-19 outbreak was spreading from the city of Wuhan. (Keaten, 4/8)
Politico: The United Nations Goes Missing
It took more than three months, a death toll above 87,000 and cases in more than 180 countries, repeated pleas from smaller nations, and a growing sense of shame among senior diplomats — but the United Nations Security Council is finally going to meet to discuss the coronavirus. That is, in a private session unlikely to yield any serious action. (Toosi and Heath, 4/8)
