A panel of independent experts commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a scathing rebuke of the global reaction to COVID-19, calling the outbreak a “preventable disaster” and a “terrible wake-up call” that exposed weak links along the entire chain of pandemic preparation and response. In a report issued Wednesday (pdf), the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response blamed countries worldwide for their sluggish response to the outbreak of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, saying most waited to see how the virus was spreading until it was too late to contain it, leading to catastrophic results. The group also took aim at the lack of global leadership and restrictive international health laws that “hindered” the WHO’s response to the pandemic. Some experts criticized the panel for failing to hold the WHO and others accountable for their actions during COVID-19, describing that as “an abdication of responsibility.” Lawrence Gostin …