Whatever you say Ted.
Via Wash Examiner:
The World Health Organization denied a report that said Chinese President Xi Jinping pressured WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to conceal the truth about the coronavirus outbreak in a January phone call.
Der Spiegel, a German news outlet, published a report this weekend that said Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (known as the “Bundesnachrichtendienst” or BND) found that China “urged” the WHO to “delay a global warning” about the coronavirus outbreak. Specifically, Der Spiegel’s report said the BND determined Xi and Tedros spoke by phone on Jan. 21 and the Chinese leader asked the WHO chief to “hold back information about a human-to-human transmission and to delay a pandemic warning.” The newspaper said the BND “estimates” that China’s policy of concealing information about the coronavirus resulted in four to six lost weeks in the fight against the virus worldwide.
The WHO released a statement on Saturday denying the thrust of the article.
“ Der Spiegel reports of a January 21, 2020, telephone conversation between Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and President Xi Jingping of China are unfounded and untrue,” the WHO said. “Dr Tedros and President Xi did not speak on Jan. 21 and they have never spoken by phone. Such inaccurate reports distract and detract from WHO’s and the world’s efforts to end the COVID-19 pandemic.”