The World Health Organization said it is working with China to manage the risks of COVID-19 re-emerging as people travel for Lunar New Year celebrations, but the country’s response remains questioned over the lack of of data.
COVID-19 is spreading unchecked in China after the country lifted its zero-COVID policy in December, but the WHO said it still doesn’t have enough information from China to make a full assessment of the dangers of the surge.
That is also an issue in working with China on how to mitigate the risks of traveling ahead of the Lunar New Year public holiday, which officially begins on January 21, the WHO said. The holiday was known before the pandemic as the world’s largest annual migration of people.
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“We have been working with our colleagues in China,” said Abdi Rahman Mahamud, director of WHO’s alert and response coordination department, who said the country also has a number of strategies around people traveling from areas of high risk to low risk areas. like around tests and clinics.
“But to better understand we need that data,” he added.
The WHO also said that China is still vastly underestimating deaths from COVID-19, though it is now providing more information on its outbreak.
The World Health Organization claims to be working with China in an effort to thwart a potential surge in COVID-19 after Lunar New Year celebrations.
(REUTERS/Tingshu Wang)
“There are some very important information gaps that we are working with China to fill,” COVID-19 technical lead Maria Van Kerkhove said.
China says it has been transparent with its COVID-19 data.
The country’s National Health Commission said Chinese officials had exchanged views with the WHO on Wednesday in a video conference on topics including the current epidemic situation, medical treatment, vaccination and other technical issues.
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Variant
The WHO also said it would soon publish a risk assessment on the XBB.1.5 Omicron variant that is driving an increase in COVID cases in the United States.
Emergency director Mike Ryan praised the United States for the “radical transparency” of its data on the spread of the variant.
He said that was one of the reasons the WHO has not endorsed measures to monitor travelers arriving from the United States, while describing similar measures taken by some countries for travelers from China, including COVID-19 testing and wastewater monitoring.
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“I really think you can’t compare these two situations,” he said.
