Amid global concerns about a lack of transparency as coronavirus infections surge in China, the World Health Organization calls on the country to share specific and timely information.
« : »The World Health Organization has urged China to share specific and timely information on its coronavirus situation in the light of global concerns about a lack of transparency in the surging number of Covid-19 cases in the country. At an online meeting with officials from China’s National Health Commission and National Disease Control and Prevention Administration on Friday, it asked the Chinese officials to regularly share “specific and real-time data on the epidemiological situation”, including “more genetic sequencing data” and data on hospital admissions, deaths and vaccinations. “WHO stressed the importance of monitoring and the timely publication of data to help China and the global community to formulate accurate risk assessments and to inform effective responses,” it said in a statement issued on Friday. It also invited Chinese scientists “to present detailed data on viral sequencing” at a meeting of a technical advisory group on January 3. The National Health Commission has stopped reporting the numbers of daily Covid-19 infections and fatalities, saying they failed to accurately reflect the full picture of the rise in infections across the country after Beijing dismantled its zero-Covid policies, including an end to mass testing and compulsory quarantine.
