WHO criticizes China for ‘under-representing’ Covid-19 cases, ‘narrow’ definition of infected deaths

The world Health Organization has criticized China for not revealing the exact data Covid-19 cases. China is being blamed for under-representing the infected cases and narrowing the number of the deaths while the population of billions was on risk.

“We continue to ask China for more rapid, regular, reliable data on hospitalizations and deaths, as well as more comprehensive, real-time viral sequencing,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a media briefing in Geneva Wednesday.

“WHO is concerned about the risk to life in China and has reiterated the importance of vaccination, including booster doses, to protect against hospitalization, severe disease, and death,” he said.

 WHO executive director for health emergencies Mike Ryan said the numbers released by China “under-represent the true impact of the disease” in terms of hospital and ICU admissions, as well as deaths, 

He recognised that hospital data reporting has lagged in many nations, but he pointed to China’s “limited” definition of a Covid death as a contributing factor.

Only those Covid patients who passed away from respiratory failure are listed as having died from Covid in the nation. Less than 20 local Covid cases-related deaths were reported in China in the two weeks before January 5 according to data published on the website of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

However, on Thursday, China’s Foreign Ministry said the country has always shared epidemic information “in a timely, open and transparent manner” and insisted its Covid situation was “under control,” reported