Coronavirus outbreak: WHO defends initial response on human transmission, says U.S. relationship is good

Asked about reports that U.S. President Donald Trump and other officials have said the World Health Organization was late in terms of response to possible human-to-human transmission of COVID-19, technical lead Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove said Monday they provided guidance on how the virus could be transmitted through droplet and contact transmission on Jan. 10 and 11. She said the WHO also put out a readiness checklist and a disease commodity package listing materials needed to detect and care for cases. Asked about a report that Trump plans to cut funding for WHO, the organization’s director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that he spoke with the president recently and that the relationship was “very good” and hoped it would continue.