China Defends Covid Data Sharing, Pushes Back on Further Investigations

China Defends Its Approach to Sharing Covid Data

China has defended its approach to sharing Covid data and collaborating with global agencies, following the World Health Organization's (WHO) call for more information to help uncover the origins of the virus.

Mao Ning, a foreign ministry spokesperson, stated that China has shared more data and research results on Covid than any other country. "China is the only country that organized experts to share traceability progress with the WHO on many occasions," Mao said during a press briefing.

This statement comes after the WHO released a statement on Monday reiterating its appeal for access to additional data to better understand the virus's origins. The UN agency stressed that uncovering how Covid emerged was critical to preventing future pandemics.

China Pushes Back Against Calls for Additional Investigations

China has pushed back against the call for additional investigations inside the country, arguing that research into the virus's origins should be expanded to other countries.

"On the issue of Covid traceability, China has shared the most data and research results and made the greatest contribution to global traceability research," Mao said.

In early 2023, Chinese scientists uploaded data from the initial days of the pandemic to a global database, revealing DNA from several animal species, including raccoon dogs, in environmental samples that had tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This supported the hypothesis that raccoon dogs could have been key conduits for the virus.

An international team of researchers analyzing the data suggested the presence of raccoon dogs at Wuhan's Huanan Seafood Market, a major early outbreak site, was a significant clue to the virus's origins.

China Insists on Full Cooperation

China insists that it has fully cooperated with investigations into the origins of the pandemic. Mao said that WHO experts who visited China in 2021 "went to all the places they wanted to go and met all the people they wanted to see."

The WHO recorded almost 760 million Covid cases and 6.9 million deaths worldwide. The agency declared the pandemic over in 2023, but stressed that the disease would be a permanent reminder of the potential for new viruses to emerge with devastating consequences.