Leaked WHO files show China 'delayed releasing important information' about virus
Leaked WHO files show China 'delayed releasing important information' about virus
Tom Cheshire, Asia correspondent
9 hrs ago
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China delayed releasing important coronavirus information during the early days of the outbreak, according to leaked WHO documents and recordings of WHO meetings obtained by the Associated Press (AP).
The delay led to frustration for officials in the World Health Organisation (WHO), even as they publicly praised China for its transparency.
The country waited more than one week before publishing the genome of the novel
coronavirus on 11 January, despite the fact three different government labs had fully sequenced the genetic code.
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"Tight controls on information and competition within the Chinese public health system were to blame, according to dozens of interviews and internal documents," AP reported.
And for two weeks afterwards, China also delayed providing the WHO with more detailed data on patients and cases, according to the recordings, making it difficult for officials to judge whether the virus could spread between people, and what risk it might mean for the rest of the world.
One WHO official reportedly complained: "We're going on very minimal information. It's clearly not enough for you to do proper planning."
AP said: "WHO staffers debated how to press China for gene sequences and detailed patient data without angering authorities, worried about losing access and getting Chinese scientists into trouble."
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On 3 January, the Chinese National Health Commission issued a secret notice ordering labs studying the virus to destroy their samples or send them to approved institutes.
The notice also banned labs from publishing information about the virus without the approval of the government.