WHO needs to take on bigger role in global fight against Covid-19

AMID current, fragmented efforts to fight Covid-19, the need for greater global leadership by the World Health Organization (WHO) is clear and pressing.

Over the course of Covid-19's spread, political disagreements between countries have belied fundamental cracks in an ideal, coordinated interstate response. These fault lines have manifested in various recent episodes. For example, various American officials have repeatedly emphasised the provenance of Covid-19, referring to it as the "Chinese virus". In turn, some Chinese officials have insinuated that the virus in fact originated in the United States, with such "playground" banter having even risen to the highest levels of government.

The conflation of public health issues with politics and national interests is unnecessary and dangerous for two reasons.