GENEVA - World Health Organization (WHO) head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised on Monday the United States’ “immense” contribution to global health and urged a continuation of good ties despite President Donald Trump’s move to quit the U.N. body.

Trump said on Friday he would cut ties with the WHO, accusing it of becoming a puppet of China during the global coronavirus crisis.

Asked about health risks during protests in the United States, another WHO official, epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove, told the same briefing that close contact could heighten the risk of spreading the COVID-19 disease.