'We still do not have adequate information': WHO reiterates need for China to share more Covid data
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday reiterated the need for China to share more data on its Covid outbreak. The UN health agency has repeatedly voiced concern that China's official statistics are not showing the true impact of its current surge in Covid cases.
During a media briefing, WHO's emergencies director Michael Ryan on Wednesday said, "WHO still believes that deaths are heavily underreported from China."
He further blamed Beijing's narrow definition of what constitutes a Covid death and also pointed to "the need for doctors in the public health system to be encouraged to report these cases, and not discouraged."
US extends public health emergency status for Covid
Ryan warned that despite increased collaboration, "we still do not have adequate information to make a fully comprehensive risk assessment."
Faced with such discrepancies, the WHO has expressed sympathies with countries that have opted to demand Covid tests from travellers from China.
"In the absence of data, countries have made a decision to take a precautionary approach and (WHO has) said that that is understandable in the circumstances," Ryan said.
Chinese officials, however, do not appear keen on changing their methodology.
The UN health agency also expressed concern that not just China, but also many other countries, were not focusing enough on the testing and sequencing needed to help detect possible new variants of the virus.