China didn’t withhold virus info from WHO – minister

BEIJING: China’s Foreign Ministry refuted Western media reports claiming that China delayed releasing coronavirus data and held it from the World Health Organization (WHO), saying the reports were “seriously inconsistent” with the facts.

“I don’t know where these information about the novel coronavirus ‘internal documents’ come from, in January. It cited recordings but I can assure you that certain of internal UN meetings and reports were seriously inconsistent internal documents claiming the with facts,” Foreign Ministry WHO publicly praised China in a spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at bid to pull more information out a media briefing. of the Chinese government.

Zhao’s remarks came in response Zhao listed a timeline introduced to a report that said China by Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist delayed the release of crucial at the Chinese Center for Disease

Control and Prevention (CDC), at a press conference in May.

On January 3, China reported the epidemic to the WHO and related countries at a time when it had not yet figured out what pathogen caused the epidemic and called it pneumonia of unknown causes.

On January 7, the Chinese CDC successfully isolated the novel coronavirus, and then reported it to the WHO and other countries on January 9 after an expert review.

On January 12, China shared the genetic sequence of the virus with the WHO and the world.

“China’s coronavirus response is open to the world, with clear data and facts that can stand the test of time and history,” Zhao said.

Based on the principles of openness, transparency and responsibility, China has maintained a close communication and cooperation with the WHO and its representative office in China since the outbreak, and will continue to support the WHO in playing an important role in international efforts to combat Covid-19 and jointly contribute to global public health security with the international community, Zhao said.

In response to questions concerning the report, the WHO told the Global Times in an email on Wednesday that it had no comment.