Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin confirmed today, Thursday, that Beijing is "open and transparent" about coronavirus data.
While the World Health Organization confirmed that the information it obtains from China is still not sufficient to fully assess the risks of escalating cases of infection.
The comment came after China did not update its daily report on virus cases for 3 days.
"Since the start of the Corona pandemic, China has been sharing information and data with the international community in an open and transparent manner," Wang was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.
He added that his country remained in close contact with the World Health Organization, noting that China made 5 contacts with the organization during December 2022.
In the context, China rejected Washington and the West's accusations of losing control over the outbreak of the Corona virus, and considered this "mere speculation."
China's ambassador to Russia, Zhang Hanhui, said - in an interview with the Russian "TASS" agency - that "his country's new measures to combat the Corona virus have won widespread support and recognition among members of the international community."
And yesterday, Wednesday, the World Health Organization announced that it was working with China to address the possibility of an increase in “Covid-19” cases again, as the Chinese traveled to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
The World Organization confirmed that the information it is obtaining from China is still not sufficient to fully assess the risks of escalating cases of infection.
Earlier this week, WHO officials said that countries should consider recommending that passengers wear masks on long-haul flights in light of the rapid spread of the latest variant of the Corona virus.
Health officials said that the "XBB 1.5" mutant is more infectious than the "Omicron" strain.
It is not yet clear whether the new variant will cause a new global wave of infections.
Experts say current vaccines still provide protection against severe symptoms, hospitalizations and death.
America extends the state of health emergency
Meanwhile, the US Department of Health on Wednesday extended a state of public health emergency due to the "Covid-19" pandemic, allowing millions of Americans to continue to get free tests, vaccines, and treatments.
The state of health emergency was declared in the United States for the first time in January 2020 with the start of the Corona virus pandemic, and it has been extended every 3 months since then.
It was also due to be completed this week.
The latest data from the centers showed an increase in the number of daily infections in the United States, with about 390 virus-related deaths recorded daily.
The increased availability of vaccines and medicines has greatly reduced the death rate from the virus, as 3,000 Americans were dying every day.