The World Well being Group says it’s working with China to handle the dangers of COVID-19 surging once more as individuals journey for Lunar New 12 months celebrations however the nation’s response continues to be challenged by an absence of knowledge.
COVID-19 is spreading unchecked in China after the nation lifted its zero-COVID coverage in December however the WHO mentioned it nonetheless doesn’t have sufficient data from China to make a full evaluation of the hazards of the surge.
That can also be a difficulty in working with China on mitigate the dangers of journey forward of the Lunar New 12 months public vacation, which formally runs from January 21, the WHO mentioned.
The vacation was identified pre-pandemic because the world’s largest annual migration of individuals.
“We have been working with our Chinese language colleagues,” mentioned Abdi Rahman Mahamud, director of the WHO’s alert & response co-ordination division, who mentioned the nation has plenty of methods round individuals touring from high-risk to low-risk areas. in addition to round testing and clinics.
“However to grasp higher we require that knowledge,” he added.
The WHO additionally mentioned China remains to be closely under-reporting deaths from COVID-19, though it’s now offering extra data on its outbreak.
“There are some crucial data gaps that we’re working with China to fill,” COVID-19 technical lead Maria Van Kerkhove mentioned.
China says it has been clear with its COVID-19 knowledge.
The nation’s Nationwide Well being Fee mentioned Chinese language officers had exchanged views with the WHO earlier on Wednesday in a video convention on points together with the present epidemic state of affairs, medical remedy, vaccination and different technical issues.
The WHO additionally mentioned it could quickly publish a threat evaluation on the XBB.1.5 Omicron variant that’s driving an uptick of COVID-19 circumstances in the USA.
Emergencies director Mike Ryan praised the USA for the “radical transparency” of its knowledge on the variant’s unfold.
He mentioned that was one purpose why the WHO has not backed measures to watch incoming vacationers from the USA, whereas it has described as “comprehensible” comparable steps taken by some international locations for vacationers from China, together with COVID-19 testing and wastewater monitoring.
“I actually suppose you simply can not examine these two conditions,” he mentioned.
