China has claimed to have shared the most COVID-19 data and research findings with the international community, as stated by its foreign ministry on Tuesday. This statement came after the World Health Organization (WHO) reiterated its request for more information and access to aid its efforts in understanding the origins of the virus.
Mao Ning, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, emphasized that China is the only country that has organized expert teams to share progress on traceability with the WHO on several occasions.
In a statement issued on Monday, the WHO again urged China to provide data and access to support its investigation into the origins of COVID-19, which was first detected in central China five years ago.
According to WHO, over 760 million COVID-19 cases and 6.9 million deaths have been reported globally. The organization declared in mid-2023 that COVID-19 was no longer a public health emergency, though it warned that the pandemic serves as a reminder of the potential emergence of new viruses with severe consequences.
In early 2023, Chinese scientists uploaded early pandemic data to an international database, shortly after China lifted its COVID-19 restrictions and reopened its borders. This data revealed that DNA from various animal species, including raccoon dogs, was found in environmental samples that tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. Researchers suggested that these animals were likely to have been the intermediaries in the transmission of the virus.
In 2021, a WHO-led team spent weeks in and around Wuhan, where the first cases emerged, concluding that the virus likely spread from bats to humans via another animal. However, they stated that further research was needed.
China has maintained that no additional visits were necessary, suggesting that investigations into early cases should be conducted in other countries.
On the matter of COVID-19 traceability, Mao asserted, “China has shared the most data and research findings and has made the greatest contribution to global traceability efforts.” She also added that WHO’s international experts have consistently stated that during their visits to China, they had access to all the locations and individuals they wished to engage with.
Source of Information:- https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/china-says-it-has-shared-most-covid-19-data-with-others-2024-12-31/
