‘We continue to call on China to share data and access so we can understand the origins of COVID-19.’ the UN health agency says.
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Dec. 30 restated its request for China to share data and access to help determine the origins of COVID-19, as the organization marked five years since the infection first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.
“This is a moral and scientific imperative,” the organization said in a statement. “Without transparency, sharing, and cooperation among countries, the world cannot adequately prevent and prepare for future epidemics and pandemics.“
Until now, the world remained in the dark about how the pandemic erupted in China, where the ruling Communist Party held tight control over the information about the virus and punished doctors, journalists, and others who attempted to relay unfiltered information relating to the pandemic.
Earlier this month, a Republican-led oversight subcommittee released findings from a two-year investigation, highlighting that the Chinese regime, along with U.S. government agencies and members of the international scientific community, sought to cover up facts about the pandemic’s origins.
Even the identity of “patient zero” is still shrouded in mystery. While the health authorities in Wuhan said the first case was detected on Dec. 8, 2019, media reports indicated that the earliest documented patient—a man in his 70s—fell ill several days earlier, on Dec. 1.
A trove of leaked documents obtained by The Epoch Times has raised further questions about the official timeline, showing that hospitals in Wuhan began treating patients with COVID-like symptoms as early as September 2019.
In its reflective statement, the WHO recalled that on Dec. 31, 2019, its Country Office in China noted a media announcement from the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission about “viral pneumonia” cases in Wuhan.
In response, China’s foreign ministry said it has “shared the most data and research results” among the international community.
Mao Ning, spokesperson at the foreign ministry, told reporters at a briefing on Dec. 31 that China supported and participated in scientific efforts to find out how the virus started and “firmly opposes any form of political manipulation.”
By Dorothy Li
