WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus did not call out specific politicians for criticism but said ``too many countries are headed in the wrong direction'' with the pandemic and some were not taking the proper steps to curb infections.

The WHO mission is politically sensitive, with the U.S. moving to cut ties with it over allegations it mishandled the outbreak and is biased toward China.

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Thursday that it was setting up an independent panel to review its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the response by governments.

The United Nations and the U.S. State Department announced Tuesday that Washington had submitted formal notification that the U.S. would withdraw from the WHO within a year.

China's agriculture ministry said in a statement that the study has been interpreted by the media "in an exaggerated and nonfactual way."

The pandemic has now entered a new phase, with India and Brazil battling outbreaks of over 10,000 cases a day, putting a major strain on resources.

The demonstration on Thursday was just the first in a number taking place across the province.

U.N. chief Antonio Guterres made the comments in an interview with The Associated Press ahead of Friday's anniversary of the signing of the U.N. Charter

The Vancouver Police Department says there’s been a 600 per cent increase in reports of hate crimes targeting the Asian community since the coronavirus crisis began.

Dr. Mike Ryan of the WHO's health emergencies program said at a press briefing that RNA viruses — like the novel coronavirus — evolve quickly as they want to survive.