The Guardian: Caught in a superpower struggle: the inside story of the WHO’s response to coronavirus
“…The events of January were always destined for scrutiny. The WHO conducts an after-action report in wake of every pandemic. But by seeking to make the global body the scapegoat for the debacle of the U.S. response, Donald Trump has ensured each detail will become exhibits in a highly-politicized show-trial, likely to last as long as the election campaign. … While the emergency committee took a week to decide to declare a PHEIC, Trump spent more than a month after that playing down the threat to the U.S., during which the country fell weeks behind the rest of the world in diagnostic testing and stockpiling essential equipment. There is no evidence to support Trump’s claim that the WHO hid information at China’s behest. The U.S. is well represented in the top ranks of the organization. There were more than a dozen officials from the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) embedded in the WHO in January and February. U.S. health leaders were part of regular conference calls, weekly or twice weekly, beginning on 7 January. From 10 January those calls included warnings about the risk of human-to-human transmission…” (Borger, 4/18).

Reuters: Nothing hidden from member states, CDC experts on board: WHO chief
“The head of the World Health Organization said on Monday that nothing in its coronavirus response had been ‘hidden’ from the United States, as senior officials said U.S. technical experts had been an important part of the WHO’s effort. The comments appeared to be a rejoinder to U.S. President Donald Trump, who has criticized WHO’s handling of the pandemic, accusing it of promoting Chinese ‘disinformation,’ and suspended U.S. funding last week…” (Nebehay/Farge, 4/20).

The Hill: EXCLUSIVE: Meet the top American fighting COVID-19 at WHO (Wilson, 4/20).

MSNBC: White House’s case against World Health Organization crumbles (Benen, 4/20).

Reuters: Coronavirus likely of animal origin, no sign of lab manipulation: WHO (Farge/Nebehay, 4/21).