WHO welcomes China's latest COVID data, calls for 'deeper cooperation' amid surge

As China continues to battle against its worst-ever COVID crisis, WHO Chief General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus spoke with Minister Ma Xiaowei, director of China's National Health Commission, on Saturday and took stock of the situation in the country. He appreciated the latest COVID-related information shared by Chinese health authorities and asked for deeper cooperation.

On Twitter, the WHO chief wrote, "Spoke with Minister Ma Xiaowei about the COVID-19 situation in China." I appreciated the release of detailed information, which we request they continue to share. Ghebreyesus added, "Asked for the sharing of further sequences and cooperation on understanding the virus origins."

WHO appreciates China for showing transparency in providing COVID data

The health officials talked over the phone on the same day as China reported nearly 60000 COVID-19 deaths after its government scrapped the "Zero COVID policy" on December 7, 2022. On Saturday, China's health officials reported 59,938 COVID-19-related deaths between December 8, 2022, and January 12, this year.

During the phone call, the WHO Chief stressed the urgent need for China's deeper cooperation and transparency in understanding the origins of the COVID-19 virus and carrying out the recommendations detailed in the report of the Strategic Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens. Later, a statement was also issued by WHO that said the Chinese officials shared data on a variety of topics, including outpatient clinics, hospitalizations, patients requiring emergency treatment and critical care, and hospital deaths related to the COVID-19 infection. "WHO is analysing this information, which covers early December 2022 to January 12, 2023, and it allows for a better understanding of the epidemiological situation and the impact of this wave in China," the UN agency said.

"The overall epidemiology—reflecting a rapid and intense wave of disease caused by known sub-variants of Omicron with a higher clinical impact on older people and those with underlying conditions—is similar to waves of infection experienced by other countries, as is the increased pressure on health services," the agency said. WHO asked China to continuously share this type of detailed information, it added.

Image: AP