G7 to seek fresh origin probe, pledge 1 bn jabs
NEW DELHI: Leaders at the G7 Summit in the UK will call for a new, transparent investigation by the World Health Organization (WHO) into the origins of the coronavirus while pledging 1 billion doses of vaccines for countries around the world, according to a leaked draft communique for the meeting.
The leaders of the G7 states – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US – will gather in the British seaside resort of Cornwall during June 11-13 for the summit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was invited by the UK as a special guest but dropped plans to travel to Cornwall because of the pandemic, will virtually join G7 outreach sessions during June 12-13.
A draft communique accessed by Bloomberg News said the G7 leaders will call for a “fresh, transparent, WHO-convened study” into the origins of the coronavirus. This follows calls by several countries, including India and the US, for further studies to determine how Covid-19 spread last year. “I think we have been very clear that we support the need for a follow-up to the WHO report on the origin of Covid-19 and for further studies and we have called for understanding and cooperation of all in this regard,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Thursday, without directly naming China.
India first backed the call for further investigations on May 28, days after US President Joe Biden asked intelligence agencies to redouble their efforts to gather information to facilitate a definitive conclusion on the origin of the coronavirus and to submit a fresh report on the issue within 90 days. Biden’s action angered China, which said the US is playing politics.
At least one US agency is leaning towards the theory that the virus escaped from a laboratory in Wuhan. Most scientific experts believe the virus jumped to humans from an animal host in a natural event.