Just when we thought that there would be no worse global pandemic, with more than 2 million people infected and more than 140,000 to 31,500 dead, President Trump announced that the United States would suspend all funding for the World Health Organization.
Trump’s arguments, supported by Republican senators such as Tom Cotton and Todd Young, are that China has too much influence with the WHO, that the WHO was unable to distribute accurate information to governments in the early stages of the COVID-19 crisis, and that the U.S. can best cope with the crisis on its own without global cooperation. This is wrong and dangerous not only for the US, but also for the whole world. For countries whose reaction to the coronavirus has already been undermined by U.S. sanctions and U.S.-sponsored wars, it is especially and unimaginably cruel. According to Richard Horton, editor of the prestigious medical journal The Lancet, it is “a crime against humanity,” and medical professionals, scientists and ordinary citizens must “rebel against” it.
On 24 February, as there were clusters of cases in northern Italy, WHO engaged a team of experts from its organization and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) to help the country understand the new deadly situation and limit further human-to-human transmission.
One reason the Trump administration may be so dissatisfied with WHO is because it works with ALL countries, including those that are not allied with the United States of America.
Long before COVID-19 entered Iran, U.S. sanctions had already devastated the country’s economy, including its health system. The October 2019 report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) described how “banks and companies around the world [were] forced to retreat from humanitarian trade with Iran, with the result that Iranians suffering from rare or complex diseases are unable to obtain the medicine and treatment they need. Not being able to obtain medicines to treat diseases such as epilepsy and cancer, WHO was particularly important as COVID-19 reached Iran.
Long before coronavirus appeared, Venezuela – also under devastating U.S. sanctions – no longer had enough medical equipment and medicines. As a result of a failed American coup attempt that falsely claimed that Nicolas Maduro was not the rightful president of Venezuela when the COVID-19 pandemic broke their borders and they asked for a loan to fight the virus, the International Monetary Fund refused. Fortunately, the WHO (as well as China and Russia) provided medicines and technical assistance to this country involved in the battle. “We thank the WHO, which has confirmed that it will assist Venezuela because we are in a special situation. We are a country illegally punished, criminally blocked,” said Venezuelan Vice President Delci Rodriguez.
Long before flags were raised that the coronavirus would reach Yemen, WHO was busy helping Yemen cope with the worst cholera outbreak in the modern era, largely caused by the U.S.-supported Saudi Arabia bombing campaign and military blockade of the country’s main port. April 6, 2020. WHO and the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) announce that they are working together to strengthen efforts to help Yemen prepare for the imminent outbreak of COVID-19.
Like Yemen, Gaza is dealing with COVID-19 under a military blockade. After nearly 13 years of siege and repeated Israeli military attacks, 97 percent of the enclave’s water is now unsuitable for human consumption and electricity is so scarce that hospitals have to rely on generators.
While Italy, Iran, Venezuela, Yemen, Gaza and leaders of too many other countries welcomed WHO’s assistance to COVID-19, Trump did not – and it did not work so well for the American people. By the end of February 2020, while WHO sent test kits to nearly 60 countries, the USA had abandoned tests developed in Germany. Initial COVID-19 tests at the US Centers for Disease Control yielded conflicting results, and new test kits with new chemicals had to be shipped, but the US nevertheless abandoned WHO tests, even as an interim stopgap measure. When U.S. states tried to cope with the situation by developing their own tests, they had to wait for emergency approval from the FDA, which caused even more delays and further spread of the virus. Today, despite Trump’s false claims that “anyone who wants to take the test can get it,” American shipments remain shamefully short.
To date, on April 16, 2020, the United States has managed to test only about 100,000 people a day.
While many developed countries such as Iceland, Germany, and South Korea have succeeded in containing or significantly reducing COVID-19 cases and deaths by testing huge numbers of people, the U.S. has soared to become a world leader in confirming COVID-19 cases and deaths, as well as devastating numbers of unemployed people. This achievement is certainly not what Trump had in mind when he said he would make America number one again.
Given the appallingly inadequate state of US COVID-19 testing and the alarming rates of confirmed cases and deaths, the US is in dire need of WHO assistance. Blaming the WHO and further isolation is the exact opposite of what is needed to ensure the safety of both the US and the world.
Trump’s decision to cut funding for WHO fits into a long list of international treaties, agreements and global institutions that his administration has renounced or violated. The appalling decisions, as well as the sanctions, embargoes and trade barriers that Trump has either imposed or increased since taking office, have distanced the United States from global cooperation.