Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, after delivering what he called was a "stern warning to the World Health Organization, said Monday the coronavirus pandemic has shown the need for the organization to make "significant structural reform" and that it must be held accountable for the virus' worldwide spread.
"There needs to be an independent investigation of them, but their conduct towards China here and trying this conduct has got to be on the table," Azar said on Fox News' "America's Newsroom." "China concealed information about human to human transmission and they did not reveal the asymptomatic transmission of this disease."
Azar earlier in the morning told officials with the World Health Assembly via video link that the WHO's actions cost "many lives," reports The Washington Post.
“In an apparent attempt to conceal this outbreak, at least one member state made a mockery of their transparency obligations, with tremendous costs for the entire world,” he told the assembly, while not referring to China by name.
He also accused the WHO of having "failed at its core mission of information sharing."
Azar told Fox News after the address that he wouldn't get ahead of President Donald Trump on whether WHO funding is going to be cut off, but he did make the statement to the assembly at Trump's request.
Meanwhile, Trump's Operation Warp Speed is emphasizing the development of central different vaccines, said Azar, including the Moderna vaccine that is showing promising results after the first tests.
"We are going to be putting other big bets on other vaccines so we are not going into battle with just one shot," Azar said.
He added that there are many concerns as shutdowns continue in some areas, as there are serials health consequences from being locked down for extended periods, including people avoiding medical protections they need.
"We've seen reductions in cardiovascular procedures, we have seen increases in suicide risk, we have seen reductions in cancer screenings and pediatric vaccinations," said Azar.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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