Tedros: WHO providing 'sound advice based on the best science and evidence'

In a clear rebuke to recent accusations made by the United States government, the World Health Organization on Monday insisted it provides "sound advice" based on the "best science and evidence" but does not force countries to implement.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the WHO does not have a mandate to enforce such advice.

The WHO declared novel coronavirus a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, the highest level of alert based on international health regulations, on Jan 30. At that time, there were only 82 cases and no deaths outside of China.

During a virtual press conference from Geneva, Tedros said: "It's up to the countries to take our advice or reject it. But we give our advice based on the best science and evidence."

Tedros said that "the world should have listened to the WHO carefully then", and that every country could have moved to trigger its public health measures.

"I think that suffices the importance of listening to WHO's advice," he said.

Following the alert, the WHO also advised countries to implement a comprehensive public health approach, including finding, testing and isolating cases and pursuing contact tracing.

"You can check for yourself, countries which followed that are in a better position than others," Tedros said.

His words came after repeated attacks on the WHO by US officials, including the President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Trump has accused the WHO of mismanagement and being China centric, claiming that "thousands of lives could be saved, had the WHO done its job". He announced on April 14 that the US was placing a hold on funding to the WHO for 60-90 days over its handling of COVID-19.

Pompeo told Fox News last Wednesday that the US may never restore its WHO funding and could even work to set up an alternative to the UN body, Reuters reported.

The halt of funding has drawn sharp criticism from Democrats in the US House of Representatives who accused the White House of trying to scapegoat the WHO to distract from its own handling of the pandemic. In a letter to Trump, they called for immediate restoration of US funding.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere told the media that Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed on the need to reform the WHO after the two leaders held a phone call on Sunday.

There has been no statement from the French side about the two leaders' conversation. But France immediately expressed regret after Trump announced a halt of US funding to the WHO.

Macron was present last Friday when the WHO teamed up with governments and the private sector in launching a program to speed up the development, production and access to new COVID-19 tests, drugs and vaccines.

In an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria on Sunday, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates dismissed Trump's comment that the WHO is "China centric".

He said the "WHO has a strong connection with one country. That country is the United States."