WHO experts visit Wuhan RUSSIA DENIES U.S. CLAIM OF FUELLING ALARM

Beijing, Feb 23: Ninetyseven more people died in China due to coronavirus, taking the toll to 2,442, officials said on Sunday, as a team of WHO experts visited the worst-affected Wuhan city in Hubei province. By the end of Saturday, a total of 2,442 people had died of the disease and 76,936 confirmed cases of novel coronavirus infection had been reported in 31 provincial-level regions, China’s National Health Commission (NHC) said in its daily update on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the 12-member team of public health experts from the World Health Organisation (WHO) visited Wuhan to conduct a detailed probe about the virus which reportedly originated from the city’s seafood market in December last year. The experts and their Chinese counterparts held talks with the local health authority in Wuhan and visited relevant healthcare institutions. The specialists also discussed quarantine measures, wild animal trade apart from community prevention measures.

Moscow, Feb 23: Russia’s foreign ministry denied a claim by US officials that Russian-linked social media accounts were making a coordinated effort to spread alarm about the new coronavirus, branding the accusation intentionally misleading. “This is a deliberately false story,” spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in Russia’s first official reaction to US claims.

“Russia’s intent is to sow discord and undermine US institutions and alliances from within, including through covert and coercive malign influence campaigns,” said Philip Reeker, acting Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia. “By spreading disinformation about coronavirus, Russian malign actors are choosing to threaten public safety by distracting from the global health response.”