Daily Times

Global unity is still missing on Coronavirus (COVID-19), the worst enemy of the world in 2020, which has massacred hundreds and sickened thousands of people in China and worldwide. Ominousness is that the spillover looms large as the world is busy witch-hunting and point-scoring.

Before it is too late, let the realisation prevail that Coronavirus is a global challenge that needs global harmony and coordinated measures with an ultimate sense of seriousness, exhibiting a unified trust and understanding. Behold! It does not know the boundaries of China. It has an innate tendency to sneak into every part of the world.

Even if it is hypothesised that the Chinese local government committed laxity in the beginning, turned a blind eye to the early warning of Dr Li Wenliang, who died of the same infection, the responsible can be brought to justice sooner or later.

However, it is common sense when a person has life-threats, due to sickness, you will not punish the person for delinquencies that led to the horrendous ailment. Rather, the first step will be to provide him with medical aid through a set procedure to help him to regain wellness.

Sensing a dearth in global response and spiral politicisation, World Health Organisation (WHO) chief, Dr Tedros, launched a $675 million Coronavirus appeal. He had to say in response to a question asked by a media person, “The virus is a common enemy.”

“Let’s not play politics here,” he added.

Internationally, it is recommended in the case of health issues to let the WHO take a lead. The US, the EU, Asia, Africa and other continents have a deep trust in the credibility of the WHO. However, the US disregarded a key recommendation of the UN public health body to avoid banning flights to and from China because there is “little public health benefit” in so doing.

WHO Director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus firmly recommended no evacuation from Wuhan; issuing alarm that people needed to stay calm instead of triggering an overreaction. However, many developed countries shrugged it off. Later, the trend was followed by others.

Meanwhile, when Pakistani government, abiding by the WHO instructions, decided not to evacuate Pakistani students in Wuhan, Hubei (the epicentre of Coronavirus (COVID-19)), India abetted panic-stricken Pakistani students; provoking them that if Pakistan was shying away from flying them back, it could help evacuate Pakistani students.

The WHO has already named the Coronavirus as COVID-19, instead of Wuhan Virus and China Coronavirus. The WHO official said, “We had to find a name that did not refer to a geographical location, an animal, an individual or group of people and which is also pronounceable and related to the disease. Having a name matters to prevent the use of other names that can be inaccurate or stigmatising. It also gives us a standard format to use for any future coronavirus outbreaks.”

However, several international media houses and governments, which have an inborn antipathy against China, liked to name it as Wuhan Virus or China Coronavirus.

Overwhelmed with despicable flaks to settle some scores, critics have launched a smearing campaign against China’s response to beat Coronavirus. The vilification drive is still on full swing, which showcases that local officials had remained slow to the reports of virus spread and silenced those who tried to warn. They accused the Chinese government, led by President Xi Jinping, of muffling dissenting voices on social media; misbelieving that efforts are afoot to cover up official negligence. They have also alleged China has been fudging the numbers of fatalities and confirmed cases.

Later, when the WHO chief debunked all myths and speculations, they blasted him for praising China’s governance system, which they call “dictatorship.”

Some media painted WHO chief as detractors as Dr Tedros is guilty of praising a state whose controlling instincts may have helped the virus multiply.

The outbreak of such deadliest virus was impending, and it could have originated anywhere. Between 2011 and 2018, the WHO tracked 1,483 epidemic events in 172 countries and warned that the epidemic-prone diseases, like flu and its more feared cousins, SARS and MERS, “will be harbingers of a new era of high-impact, potentially fast-spreading outbreaks that will be more frequently detected and increasingly difficult to manage.”

But globally, it is portrayed that China is a sinner and let this virus took birth and spread over. Even a lunatic will never believe in the narrative. At the time, China is taking centre stage by its outstanding geopolitical, geo-economic and geostrategic progress with growing GDP, worldwide trade, scientific and technological advancements under the CPEC and Xi’s leadership, how can it let a virus throw the spanner in the work.

Sensing a dearth in global response and spiral politicisation, World Health Organisation (WHO) chief, Dr Tedros, launched a $675 million Coronavirus appeal

To ensure transparency and justice, China has initiated a probe to trace criminal oblivion. The WHO’s teams have also arrived in China for inclusive cooperation on the issue.

According to Chinese Ambassador to the US, Cui Tiankai Cui, during his media interaction, Li Wenliang, the late doctor, who sounded the alarm about a possible “SARS-like” disease at the early stages of the outbreak, was a good doctor and said he felt really sad for his death.

“As a doctor, he could find things from specific cases. But for the government to make any alert, any announcement, they need more evidence. They have to base themselves on scientific analysis,” Cui said.

“It was very tragic for us that he, in his work, lost his life. But I think he was one of the good doctors. There are tens of thousands of them still working at the front line, still risking their own lives to save other people.”

Expressing his views that China neither hid facts over the issue nor shied away from welcoming foreign experts in the mainland, he said that China had welcomed all experts from every part of the world, even from the US.

Everybody suffers in such situations. According to the first report of the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board issued last September, estimated costs of past similar events include: the loss of over 40 billion US dollars in productivity from the 2003 SARS epidemic; the loss of 53 billion US dollars from the economic and social impact of the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak and the cost of 45-55 billion US dollars of the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic. The financial damages of Coronavirus (COVID-19) yet remain to be ascertained.

Witnessing a scathing response of the international community, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has joined those appealing for “a strong feeling of international solidarity, a strong feeling of support to China in these difficult circumstances,” as well as an avoidance of discriminatory practices against Chinese.

Asking people to refrain from judging and blaming China for negligence, the WHO official said that people should not rush to guess what China knew. “Nobody knows for sure if they were hiding [anything],” WHO said, adding that, if they had, the virus would have spread earlier to neighbouring countries. “The logic doesn’t support the idea [of a cover up]. It’s wrong to jump to conclusions.” China, he said, deserved “tailored and qualified” praise. “They identified the pathogen and shared the sequence immediately,” he said, helping other countries in quick diagnoses. They quarantined huge cities like Wuhan. “Can’t you appreciate that? They should be thanked for hammering the epicentre. They are protecting the rest of the world.” He also praised Mr Xi. “I was stunned by the knowledge he had. He was personally living it. That’s good leadership.”

It’s a matter of political, social and economic upheavals. It can affect all areas of society, and that’s why we have to take it seriously. The world talks immensely about terrorism (imagine the level of preparation and so on.). To be honest, a virus is more powerful in creating political, economic and social upheaval than any terrorist attack, believe it or not.

The writer is a senior freelance journalist and president of the Institute of International Relations and Media Research (IIRMR)