China's lack of transparency on COVID outbreak sparks international concern

Michelle De Pacina
·2 min read
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Before you read:

Global leaders are concerned about the lack of transparency regarding China's skyrocketing COVID rates.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the East Asian nation’s lack of transparency could impede the identification of new COVID variants and affect international public health.

Global health officials reportedly have limited information on new COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths in China, leaving the rest of the world unaware of the severity of the country’s current outbreak of the virus.

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“Right now the pandemic situation in China is not transparent,” Wang Pi-Sheng, the head of Taiwan’s epidemic command center, told the Associated Press. “We have a very limited grasp on its information, and it’s not very accurate.”

Due to a surge in infections, many countries, including the U.S., Italy, Japan and India, have announced new COVID testing requirements for airline passengers coming from China.

Starting on Jan. 5, 2023, visitors intending on entering the U.S. will need to get tested no more than two days before their flight. They must also show negative COVID test results before their departure.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on China to become more transparent about the spread of the virus in the nation.

“WHO is very concerned over the evolving situation in China with increasing reports of severe disease,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a press briefing on Dec. 21. “In order to make a comprehensive risk assessment of the situation on the ground, WHO needs more detailed information on disease severity, hospital admissions, and requirements for ICU support.”

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