Chinese health officials have pushed back against criticism from the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding China’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Shen Hongbing, the director of the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, accused the WHO of “attempting to smear China” and politicize the issue.
The comments were in response to criticism from WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who suggested that genetic material from Wuhan should have been made available earlier. However, Hongbing defended China’s actions, stating that the country has always actively shared research results with scientists from around the world.
The controversy stems from Chinese data that was first made available in January but was later taken offline. Ghebreyesus suggested that the genetic information contained in the data should have been shared when the virus began. A team of international virus experts managed to download the data before it was taken offline and began to analyze it.
The Chinese data suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic may have originated in a Wuhan seafood market where illegally traded raccoon dogs may have infected humans. Despite criticism from the WHO, Chinese health officials have defended their actions and called for cooperation rather than criticism from the international community.
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