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Trump Administration Signals Formal Withdrawal From W.H.O. Trump Administration Signals Formal Withdrawal From W.H.O.
(32 minutes later)
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has formally notified the United Nations that the United States will withdraw from the World Health Organization, a move that would cut off one of the largest sources of funding from the premier global health organization in the middle of a pandemic.WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has formally notified the United Nations that the United States will withdraw from the World Health Organization, a move that would cut off one of the largest sources of funding from the premier global health organization in the middle of a pandemic.
“The United States’ notice of withdrawal, effective July 6, 2021, has been submitted to the U.N. secretary general, who is the depository for the W.H.O.,” a senior administration official said on Tuesday.“The United States’ notice of withdrawal, effective July 6, 2021, has been submitted to the U.N. secretary general, who is the depository for the W.H.O.,” a senior administration official said on Tuesday.
The departure would take effect sometime next year, should the United States meet established conditions of giving a one-year notice and fulfilling its current financial obligations, Stéphane Dujarric, a spokesman for the secretary general, António Guterres, said on Tuesday.The departure would take effect sometime next year, should the United States meet established conditions of giving a one-year notice and fulfilling its current financial obligations, Stéphane Dujarric, a spokesman for the secretary general, António Guterres, said on Tuesday.
The notification completes a threat that President Trump began making months ago, as the death toll from the coronavirus in the United States mounted and Mr. Trump sought to blame the Chinese government for not doing enough to stop the spread of the disease. Mr. Trump has accused Beijing of hiding the true scope of infections from the W.H.O., targeting the agency in the process.The notification completes a threat that President Trump began making months ago, as the death toll from the coronavirus in the United States mounted and Mr. Trump sought to blame the Chinese government for not doing enough to stop the spread of the disease. Mr. Trump has accused Beijing of hiding the true scope of infections from the W.H.O., targeting the agency in the process.
“The world is now suffering as a result of the malfeasance of the Chinese government,” Mr. Trump said in May, when he first said the United States would withdraw from the organization.“The world is now suffering as a result of the malfeasance of the Chinese government,” Mr. Trump said in May, when he first said the United States would withdraw from the organization.
There is little evidence to support Mr. Trump’s belief that the Chinese misinformed the organization, though scientists and health experts have recently criticized the W.H.O. for being slow to update its guidance and keep step with science as understanding of the virus rapidly evolves.There is little evidence to support Mr. Trump’s belief that the Chinese misinformed the organization, though scientists and health experts have recently criticized the W.H.O. for being slow to update its guidance and keep step with science as understanding of the virus rapidly evolves.
Mr. Trump’s decision to leave the W.H.O. is the latest in a series of withdrawals he has made from global pacts, usually after scorning such partnerships as disadvantageous for Americans. But the administration’s move to withdraw from the W.H.O., an organization the United States had a central role in creating more than a half century ago, during a pandemic that has infected more than 11.6 million people, killed more than half a million and upended life around the world, drew swift condemnation from public health experts.Mr. Trump’s decision to leave the W.H.O. is the latest in a series of withdrawals he has made from global pacts, usually after scorning such partnerships as disadvantageous for Americans. But the administration’s move to withdraw from the W.H.O., an organization the United States had a central role in creating more than a half century ago, during a pandemic that has infected more than 11.6 million people, killed more than half a million and upended life around the world, drew swift condemnation from public health experts.
Lawrence O. Gostin, the director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University, said that the decision was “disastrous” for national interests and that the departure would weaken American influence on international health diplomacy.Lawrence O. Gostin, the director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University, said that the decision was “disastrous” for national interests and that the departure would weaken American influence on international health diplomacy.
“President Trump’s official notice of withdrawal from the W.H.O. is among the most ruinous presidential decisions in recent history,” Mr. Gostin, who is also affiliated with the World Health Organization, said in a statement. “It will make Americans less safe during an unprecedented global health crisis.”“President Trump’s official notice of withdrawal from the W.H.O. is among the most ruinous presidential decisions in recent history,” Mr. Gostin, who is also affiliated with the World Health Organization, said in a statement. “It will make Americans less safe during an unprecedented global health crisis.”
Experts acknowledged that the W.H.O. has made some missteps during the pandemic, but said it has largely done well given the constraints under which it operates. The agency is coordinating clinical trials of treatments, as well as efforts to manufacture and equitably distribute the vaccine.Experts acknowledged that the W.H.O. has made some missteps during the pandemic, but said it has largely done well given the constraints under which it operates. The agency is coordinating clinical trials of treatments, as well as efforts to manufacture and equitably distribute the vaccine.
“I think it’s an extraordinarily bad decision that will both harm global public health and harm the health of the American people,” said Dr. Ashish Jha, the director of the Harvard Global Health Institute. “It’s unclear to me how the American people benefit by not being at the table and not being able to shape those policies.”“I think it’s an extraordinarily bad decision that will both harm global public health and harm the health of the American people,” said Dr. Ashish Jha, the director of the Harvard Global Health Institute. “It’s unclear to me how the American people benefit by not being at the table and not being able to shape those policies.”
For the Trump administration to blame the W.H.O. for not investigating the outbreak in China is “deeply disingenuous,” Dr. Jha added. “W.H.O. can’t push its way into China, any more than it can investigate why our outbreak is so bad in Arizona or why we’re botching the response as badly as we are.”For the Trump administration to blame the W.H.O. for not investigating the outbreak in China is “deeply disingenuous,” Dr. Jha added. “W.H.O. can’t push its way into China, any more than it can investigate why our outbreak is so bad in Arizona or why we’re botching the response as badly as we are.”
And Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, a former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, underlined the organization’s accomplishments. “Without W.H.O., the world would not have eradicated smallpox, multidrug resistant tuberculosis would have spread much more widely, and we would have much weaker systems to track influenza and other deadly infections.”And Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, a former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, underlined the organization’s accomplishments. “Without W.H.O., the world would not have eradicated smallpox, multidrug resistant tuberculosis would have spread much more widely, and we would have much weaker systems to track influenza and other deadly infections.”
Updated July 7, 2020 Updated July 15, 2020
The coronavirus can stay aloft for hours in tiny droplets in stagnant air, infecting people as they inhale, mounting scientific evidence suggests. This risk is highest in crowded indoor spaces with poor ventilation, and may help explain super-spreading events reported in meatpacking plants, churches and restaurants. It’s unclear how often the virus is spread via these tiny droplets, or aerosols, compared with larger droplets that are expelled when a sick person coughs or sneezes, or transmitted through contact with contaminated surfaces, said Linsey Marr, an aerosol expert at Virginia Tech. Aerosols are released even when a person without symptoms exhales, talks or sings, according to Dr. Marr and more than 200 other experts, who have outlined the evidence in an open letter to the World Health Organization.
Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.
Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles.
A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico.
The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth.
The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave.
So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.
Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.
A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.
If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)
If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.
The administration’s move also drew criticism from Democratic lawmakers, including from Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who wrote on Twitter that Congress had just received notification of the withdrawal. “This won’t protect American lives or interests — it leaves Americans sick & America alone,” Mr. Menendez wrote.The administration’s move also drew criticism from Democratic lawmakers, including from Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who wrote on Twitter that Congress had just received notification of the withdrawal. “This won’t protect American lives or interests — it leaves Americans sick & America alone,” Mr. Menendez wrote.
But Republicans on Tuesday supported the idea of leaving the organization.But Republicans on Tuesday supported the idea of leaving the organization.
“Withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization was the right decision,” Representative James R. Comer of Kentucky, a ranking member of the House oversight committee, said on Twitter. “Until the WHO undergoes some serious reforms, it doesn’t deserve our money or our membership.”“Withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization was the right decision,” Representative James R. Comer of Kentucky, a ranking member of the House oversight committee, said on Twitter. “Until the WHO undergoes some serious reforms, it doesn’t deserve our money or our membership.”
The United States played a central role in creating the W.H.O. in 1948, and has since been one of its largest sources of financial support. The biennial budget for the W.H.O. is about $6 billion, which comes from member countries around the world. In 2019, the last year for which figures were available, the United States contributed about $553 million.The United States played a central role in creating the W.H.O. in 1948, and has since been one of its largest sources of financial support. The biennial budget for the W.H.O. is about $6 billion, which comes from member countries around the world. In 2019, the last year for which figures were available, the United States contributed about $553 million.
In the past, the W.H.O. and global health priorities have enjoyed bipartisan support. But in May the Trump administration delivered a four-page letter calling for “major, substantive improvements” in exchange for continued funding.In the past, the W.H.O. and global health priorities have enjoyed bipartisan support. But in May the Trump administration delivered a four-page letter calling for “major, substantive improvements” in exchange for continued funding.
The organization’s other member nations decided instead to conduct an “impartial, independent” examination of the W.H.O.’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. And it did not satisfy its American critics.The organization’s other member nations decided instead to conduct an “impartial, independent” examination of the W.H.O.’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. And it did not satisfy its American critics.
Katie Rogers reported from Washington, and Apoorva Mandavilli from New York.Katie Rogers reported from Washington, and Apoorva Mandavilli from New York.