US President Donald Trump has suspended funding to the World Health Organisation (WHO) over its alleged poor handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
He made the announcement on Tuesday during a White House press briefing, days after he had first threatened to do so.
As the highest contributor, the United States funded WHO to the tune of $400 million last year.
But Trump said WHO’s handling of the pandemic which originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019 exposed the world to the peril it is now facing.
He said the global health body covered up the seriousness of the disease at its onset, costing the rest of the world crucial period in which it could have prepared for adequate response.
Speaking when he first touted the idea of a halt in funding, the US President said, “They missed the call. They could have called it months earlier. They would have known, and they should have known, and they probably did know.”
According to him, the suspension would subsist until “a review is conducted to assess the WHO’s role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus.”
Trump added, “With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have deep concerns whether America’s generosity has been put to the best use possible.”
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