All Countries Should Share COVID-19 Information With WHO: India

'We hope countries will closely coordinate with the WHO and share necessary information so that we can come out of COVID-19 faster,' MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at his weekly briefing on Thursday.

The Wire Staff

all countries should share covid 19 information with who india

While China officially reported just 13 COVID-19 deaths in December, there have been increasing reports of hospitals being swamped by thousands of cases every day. Photo: Reuters/Thomas Peter

New Delhi: A day after the World Health Organisation (WHO) head lamented the lack COVID-19 data from China, India on Thursday, January 5, hoped that all countries would share “necessary information” with the UN’s top health body.

On Wednesday, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the Chinese government had been asked to share more details about COVID-19, including hospitalisation rates and genetic sequences. “Data remains essential for WHO to carry out regular, rapid and robust risk assessments of the global situation,” he said at a press briefing in Geneva.

When asked about the WHO chief’s remarks, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that India urged all countries to share all the required data. “We hope countries will closely coordinate with the WHO and share necessary information so that we can come out of COVID-19 faster,” he said at his weekly briefing on Thursday.

Earlier, the WHO’s emergencies chief Dr. Michael Ryan had noted that there were concerns that Chinese officials were recording COVID-19 deaths as per a very narrow definition. While China officially reported just 13 COVID-19 deaths in December, there have been increasing reports of hospitals being swamped by thousands of cases every day.

US president Joe Biden has expressed concern that China “haven’t been that forthcoming” in sharing information about the latest outbreak.

Also read: WHO Says No New Variant of Coronavirus Found in China

In response to the criticism, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told media on Thursday that China “has always, in accordance with the principles of legality, timeliness, openness and transparency, maintained close communication and shared relevant information and data with the WHO in a timely manner”.

Meanwhile, the MEA spokesperson also responded to the newly appointed Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang’s published article in an American news magazine last month.

In an essay dated December 26, Qin wrote, “As to the border issues between China and India, the status quo is that both sides are willing to ease the situation and jointly protect peace along their borders.”

Bagchi reiterated that India believes that ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas is essential for the development of our relationship. “So, too, is the observance of bilateral agreements and refraining from unilateral attempts to change the status quo of the boundary,” he added.

This article went live on January fifth, two thousand twenty three, at thirteen minutes past eleven at night.

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