The WHO's Embarrassing Interview

The WHO's Dr Bruce Alyward stopped an interview with RTHK about Taiwan

This evening's clip of Radio Television Hong Kong's interview with the WHO's Dr Bruce Aylward have gone viral on social media because the medical expert refused to answer a question about Taiwan regarding the coronavirus.

RTHK's Yvonne Tong in a Skype interview asks the Canadian senior advisor to the Director General of the WHO about reconsidering Taiwan's membership in the organization and he feigns not to be able to hear the question, and even suggests she move onto the next question.

However, Tong repeats the question again to the physician-epidemiologist, who then he shuts down the interview, leaving the laptop screen blank.

It is an embarrassing scene. @WHO Director General, Bruce Aylward, hangs up in an interview with RTHK when he is asked about reconsidering Taiwan’s membership. Ironically, despite being so close to China, Taiwan manages to keep the #coronavirus infection and fatality rate low. pic.twitter.com/bFWRXpCyHN

— Ezra Cheung (@ezracheungtoto) March 28, 2020

 

What was that?

It clearly proves that the WHO has been co-opted by China in presenting it in the best light possible in its handling of the global pandemic that has infected over 577,000 people, over 27,500 dead.

Taiwan has handled the pandemic in the best way possible, thanks to the quick thinking of its officials and skepticism of China. It will also be another nail in the coffin for China's wish to take Taiwan back following the Hong Kong protests.

Chou Jih-haw of Taiwan's Centres for Disease Control

At a press conference earlier this week, Taiwan's Centres for Disease Control chief Chou Jih-haw says they wrote a letter to the WHO as early as December 31, asking about the coronavirus because they learned China's health care workers were getting ill, which suggested human-to-human transmission.
 "We asked them whether there's a possibility of human-to-human transmission. We indeed asked them and reminded them of the matter," Chou said. He said the WHO confirmed it had received the letter but did not respond to it.

Health minister Chen Shih-chung said fortunately Taiwan decided the same day to begin screening passengers flying in from Wuhan and activated its emergency operations centre on January 2 -- a move which health experts say helped Taiwan effective control the early spread of the virus.

In January, Chen said Taiwan sent health experts to China, but they were not allowed to see any patients or go to the markets where the virus is believed to have originated. The trip made Taiwanese officials realize they had to act quickly.

Taiwan Vice President Chen Chien-jen with Tsai Ing-wen

It also helps to point out one of those officials, Taiwan's Vice President Chen Chien-jen, is an epidemiologist and was the island's health minister during SARS in late 2002-2003.

On January 12, the WHO said there was no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission, but China confirmed this eight days later.

Chen says: "The WHO could not obtain first-hand information to study and judge whether there was human-to-human transmission of COVID-19. This led it to announce human-to-human transmission with a delay, and an opportunity to raise the alert level both in China and the wider world was lost."

So one can see why the WHO is red-faced about not taking into account the concerns from Taiwan, but still refuses to admit its mistakes. Hence Dr Aylward's shocking and disappointing handling of his interview with RTHK that was broadcast earlier this evening.

How can the WHO have any shred of credibility left after this pandemic is over?