Solar Energy News  
EPIDEMICS
'We are at war' with Covid, says UN chief
by AFP Staff Writers
Geneva (AFP) May 24, 2021

China rejects claim of illness at Wuhan lab in late 2019
Beijing (AFP) May 24, 2021 - China on Monday dismissed as "totally untrue" reports that three researchers in Wuhan went to hospital with an illness shortly before the coronavirus emerged in the city and spread around the globe.

Since infecting its first victims in the central Chinese city in late 2019, the pathogen has afflicted almost every country in the world, killing more than 3.4 million people and pummelling national economies.

Beijing has always fiercely fought the theory that it could have escaped from one of its laboratories.

Citing a US intelligence report, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that the trio from the Wuhan Institute of Virology were affected as early as November 2019, suffering from "symptoms consistent with both Covid-19 and common seasonal illness".

China disclosed the existence of an outbreak of pneumonia cases in Wuhan to the World Health Organization (WHO) on December 31, 2019.

Asked about the reports on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian described them as "totally untrue".

He told reporters that, according to a statement from the institute, it "had not been exposed to Covid-19 before December 30, 2019, and a "zero-infection" record is kept among its staff and graduate students so far".

The coronavirus was, however, taken to the lab for study, according to Chinese authorities.

The theory that the killer virus leaked from a Chinese lab was fuelled by, among others, the administration of former US president Donald Trump.

But in March, after a four-week stay in Wuhan, a joint study by the WHO and Chinese experts deemed such an explanation "extremely unlikely".

Experts favour the generally accepted theory of the natural transmission of the virus from an animal -- probably a bat -- to humans, through another animal that has not yet been identified.

Some believe, however, that WHO specialists did not have enough space to work freely during their investigation in Wuhan.

The world is "at war" against Covid-19, the UN chief said Monday, calling for the application of wartime logic to the inequitable access to the weapons needed to fight the pandemic.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres decried the "tsunami of suffering" sparked by the coronavirus crisis.

Addressing the opening of the World Health Organization's main annual assembly of member states, he pointed out that more than 3.4 million people have died and some 500 million jobs had disappeared since the disease first surfaced in China in late 2019.

"The most vulnerable are suffering most, and I fear this is far from over," Guterres said, stressing the ongoing dangers of "a two-speed global response."

"Sadly, unless we act now, we face a situation in which rich countries vaccinate the majority of their people and open their economies, while the virus continues to cause deep suffering by circling and mutating in the poorest countries," he said.

"Further spikes and surges could claim hundreds of thousands of lives, and slow the global economic recovery," he said, insisting that "Covid-19 cannot be beaten one country at a time."

Faced with this dire situation, Guterres urged recognition of the fact that "we are at war with a virus."

"We need the logic and urgency of a war economy, to boost the capacity of our weapons," he said.

The UN chief last week called on the G20 to set up a task force that brings together all countries with vaccine production capacities and others who can help boost manufacturing of vaccines and other tools needed to battle Covid.

"It should aim to at least double manufacturing capacity by exploring all options, from voluntary licenses and technology transfers to patent pooling and flexibility on intellectual property rights," he said.

The task force should also address equitable global distribution of vaccines, treatments and diagnostics.

The WHO and others have created Covax, a global vaccine-sharing programme, but it remains severely underfunded and has faced significant supply shortages, delaying efforts to roll out jabs in poorer countries.

To date, only 0.3 percent of Covid vaccine doses have been administered in the world's poorest countries, which are home to nearly 10 percent of the global population.

In addition to battling Covid-19, Guterres stressed the importance of preparing for the next pandemic, backing a range of recommendations put before the assembly for reform and strengthening of the WHO and of the global health system.

"The world needs political commitment at the highest level to transform the existing system," he said.

"The WHO must be at the heart of global pandemic preparedness. It needs sustainable and predictable resources, and it must be fully empowered to do the job demanded of it."

Guterres urged member states to decide a way forward to "take the bold decisions necessary to end this pandemic."

"Covid-19 must be a turning point."


Related Links
Epidemics on Earth - Bird Flu, HIV/AIDS, Ebola


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


EPIDEMICS
Study: Pandemics spread in much the same way as invasive insects
Washington DC (UPI) May 19, 2021
The authors of a new paper are calling for greater collaboration between scientists studying invasive species and researchers investigating infectious disease outbreaks. According to the study, published Wednesday in the journal BioScience, the emergence and spread of both harmful pathogens and invasive species follow similar patterns. After all, researchers say, they're both biological invasions. "Human infectious agents that rapidly increase in incidence and geographic area can ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

EPIDEMICS
Fashion's green future of seaweed coats and mushroom shoes

New technology turns plastic trash into jet fuel

Can lab-grown algae help tackle hunger?

US waives clean fuel rules to alleviate shortage after pipeline shutdown

EPIDEMICS
Enabling human control of autonomous partners

Helping robots collaborate to get the job done

Artificial intelligence can boost power, efficiency of even the best microscopes

Robotic solution for disinfecting food production plants wins agribusiness prize

EPIDEMICS
US approves its biggest offshore wind farm yet

Vertical turbines could be the future for wind farms

Researchers working to further develop monopile production for offshore wind farms

Blowing in the wind: Fishermen threaten South Korea carbon plans

EPIDEMICS
Longtime car fan Biden lives his electric dreams

Ford unveils its first all-electric pickup truck

Ford to unveil all-electric F-150 pickup

New US electric car chargers are a green leap of faith

EPIDEMICS
Highview Power Developing 2 GWh of Liquid Air Long Duration Energy Storage Projects in Spain

Fuel cells reduce ship emissions

BASF in battery parts production deal with China's Shanshan

Renewable energy sources: On the way towards large-scale thermal storage systems

EPIDEMICS
Putin, Xi hail ties at launch of work on nuclear plants in China

Framatome to complete upgrades at Krsko Nuclear Power Plant in Slovenia

France's Areva to pay 600 mn euros more for Finnish reactor

Seeking enhanced materials for nuclear reactors

EPIDEMICS
Rusal splits high carbon assets ahead of EU carbon tax

Iran rolling blackouts blamed on heat, drought, crypto-mining

New 'optical rectennas' harvest energy from heat with record efficiency

EU's green push targets shipping emissions

EPIDEMICS
Ethiopia's Abiy kicks off massive tree-planting drive

Brazil environment minister probed for timber trafficking

Brazil deforestation 94% illegal: report

Prince Charles launches tree-planting drive for Queen's jubilee









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.