India on Thursday said it shares the need for a comprehensive and expert-led mechanism to expeditiously investigate the origin of the coronavirus, days after the World Health Organization (WHO) came out with a report on it.
WHO officials said data was withheld from its investigators, who travelled to China to study the origin of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
"We share the need for a comprehensive and expert-led mechanism that would expeditiously investigate the origin of COVID-19 in cooperation with all stakeholders," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.
He was replying to media queries on the issue.
Bagchi said the WHO report represents an important first step in establishing the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It has listed four pathways concerning the emergence of the disease but has stressed the need for next-phase studies across the region. The report also stresses the need for further data and studies to reach robust conclusions," he said.
The MEA spokesperson also mentioned the WHO director general's comments on delays and difficulties in accessing raw data by the team conducting the study.
"It is pertinent to note that the director general of the WHO has separately raised the issue of delays and difficulties in accessing raw data for the team conducting the study," he said.
"We fully support the director general's expectation that future collaborative studies will include more timely and comprehensive data-sharing. In this connection, we also welcome his readiness to deploy additional missions," Bagchi added.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU