AfricaPress-Tanzania: CHINA has maintained that it has been releasing accurate data on the number of coronavirus victims and fatalities in its territory, trashing rumors that the disease erupted before December last year, but covered.
Spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ms Hua Chunying at a press conference over the weekend said that throughout, they have been releasing open, transparent and timely updates to the world.
Ms Chunying was of a view that the same data were sent to the World Health Organisation (WHO) for documentation and other uses as required in an effort to contain the situation.
She also gave the countdown of the disease, since it was diagnosed in the first cases announced, adding that all professional measures were taken to control its further spread.
“For the first time, three suspects of the coronavirus cases were announced on December 27 last year at the Hubei Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, and thereafter epidemiological investigations were carried on December 29,” she said.
According to her on the origin of the virus, her government’s position has been consistent, adding that they have routinely invited WHO experts to visit Wuhan as part of a joint mission.
“It is a serious matter that requires scientific, fact-based and professional assessment made by experts.
Now there are various reports on the experts’ science-based and authoritative opinions,” said Ms Chunying, while assuring that China has been giving total cooperation.
Expounding, she noted that a day after December 30, the Wuhan Municipal Health Committee issued an urgent notice on the treatment of the respiratory disease with unknown cause.
“On December 31, the National Health Committee (NHC) sent an expert group to Wuhan to investigate on the site.
On January 3, 2020, China started to send timely updates to the WHO and other countries, including the United States (US).
After that, on January 11, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention on January 11 uploaded five whole genome sequences of the novel coronavirus on the website and shared data with the world, being the total lockdown for Wuhan that was announced on January 23,” she added.
So far, Mainland China has recorded a total of 81,669 infection cases and 3,329 deaths in comparison to 76,964, who have recovered, and 1,376 being monitored.
