China denies cover-up in coronavirus outbreak hours after raising death toll by 50%

Hours after abruptly raising Wuhan’s death toll by 50 per cent, China on April 17 reiterated its denial of the Western allegation that it had covered up the extent of COVID-19 outbreak. In addition to that, it also denied US allegation of having a close relation with WHO. Donald Trump recently suspended its funding to WHO alleging that it was an accomplice to China.

Zhao Lijian, spokesman of foreign ministry reportedly said that the virus rapid spreading resulted in undercounting that eventually lead to China’s rising death toll earlier on April 17. However, he added that "there had  never been any concealment, and that the Chinese government would  never allow any concealment." Commenting on US’s allegation, he said that accusing China of being in a cosy relationship with WHO was an attempt at ‘smearing’ Beijing.

France, UK join US' claim

Previously, US President Donald Trump and a few of his aides had questioned China’s handling of the pandemic and showed scepticism for its transparency on reporting about the coronavirus which emerged in its city of Wuhan. On April 16, the American claims were reinforced after French president Emmanuel Macron and British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab expressed doubts over the Asian nation’s response to the virus.

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The doubts were spotlighted again when Wuhan city’s government took to social media to announce that it had added 1,290 more death cases to the city’s tally. The new addition pushes the toll to 3,869, the most number of COVID-19 related fatalities. It also increases the nationwide toll up by nearly 39 per cent to 4,6,32, international media reported citing China’s official data released on April 17.

Western nations have recently increased their pressure on China and are now probing whether the virus originated in a laboratory in Wuhan. On the other hand, China has reiterated its claims that the coronavirus originated in the ‘wet markets’ where exotic animals are sold for human consumption.

Read: Wuhan Raises Its COVID-19 Death Toll By 50%, Says Cases Were 'missed'

Read: COVID-19: China Shuts Down Largest Makeshift Hospital In Wuhan