Simon Manley, Britain’s ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, said in a separate statement: “Phase one of the WHO-convened COVID-19 origins study was always meant to be the beginning of the process, not the end.
“We call for a timely, transparent, evidence-based, and expert-led phase two study, including in the People’s Republic of China, as recommended by the experts’ report.”
Mike Ryan, WHO’s top emergency expert, told its annual meeting of health ministers on Wednesday: “We’ve had consultations informally with many member states to look at what happens in the next phase.
“And we will continue to have those discussions in the coming weeks.”
