Beijing on Thursday urged the World Health Organization (WHO) to take a 'just position' on Covid, after the United Nations agency criticised the country’s coronavirus data.

"We... hope the WHO secretariat will uphold a scientific, objective and just position, and make efforts to play a positive role for the world's response to the pandemic challenge," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular press briefing.

She also insisted that Beijing has "maintained close cooperation with the WHO" and that the mainland has "always shared relevant information and data with the international community, with an open and transparent attitude".

"According to an incomplete tally, there have been over 60 technical exchanges between the two sides since Covid-19 was first reported, on topics including Covid-19 prevention and control, treatment, vaccine R&D, and virus origin tracing," she added.

Mao was responding to remarks made by Mike Ryan, the WHO’s emergencies director, who on Wednesday said that current numbers being published from the mainland underrepresent hospital admissions, intensive care unit patients and deaths.

The mainland has recorded just over 20 Covid deaths since December and has narrowed the criteria for classifying such fatalities.

Ryan pointed out that the definition Beijing is using "requires a respiratory failure" associated with a Covid infection for a fatality to be registered as a Covid death, describing it as “a very narrow definition". (AFP/Reuters)
______________________________
Last updated: 2023-01-05 HKT 16:25