Lawrence GostinGeverifieerd account

Claim: @WHO delayed declaring #PHEIC. No it didn't. It declared quickly. @WHO classified #COVID19 a "pandemic" late but had no legal impact. World had ample warning #SARSCoV2 spreading globally. US/Europe had time to prepare. They didn't! Easy to blame @WHO, but it's our fault 2x

Claim: @DrTedros sided w/ China Makes no sense. @DrTedros used smart diplomacy to gain > China coop, incl @WHO team on the ground. Yes, China was't fully transparent & delayed, but hardly @WHO's fault. Shd @DrTedros have praised China? Maybe not, but he also praised @POTUS 3x

Claim: @WHO didn't rec closing borders early. @WHO was acting w/ sci & under Int'l Health Regs, binding treaty US signed. In many PHEICs, @DrTedros rec'd against travel/trade bans. As a once-in-a Century event #COVID resulted in world borders shut. Govts did that on their own 4x

Claim: @DrTedros hasn't been strong leader. Preposterous! I've worked intimately w/ every @WHO DG for 25 years. I Direct WHO's Center on Global Health Law. I know @DrTedros well. Frankly, he's @WHO's best leader since Gro Brundtland: caring/passionate, leads in every crisis 5x

Claim: @POTUS threatens w/drawing @WHO funding. Says @WHO lavishly funded. Wrong on many levels. @WHO budget is = large US hosp, ¼ of CDC's budget. Utterly inadequate for global mandate. Worse still, @WHO controls 25% of its own budget US & world have starved @WHO of funds 6x

So what should US & world do? US shd lead G7/G20 to rapidly double @WHO's budget in response to #COVID. US & China should push for WHA resolution to double mand @WHO country assessments. 7x

Yes, US is largest single funder of @WHO, but must do so much more. China is worse, giving a pittance to @WHO. All govts & foundations shd shift to mostly untied @WHO funding, not just find their pet projects. Let @DrTedros set the priorities based on global needs. 8x