The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that Chinese authorities should share more factual information about Covid in the country as infections continue to rise.
Many of the country’s strictest restrictions have been lifted over the past few weeks, but cases have spiked and many countries are now screening travelers from China.
WHO officials say they want to see more data on hospitalizations, intensive care unit admissions and deaths.
It also wants vaccine data.
The United States, Spain, France, South Korea, India, Italy, Japan and Taiwan have implemented Covid tests for travelers arriving from China, as they fear new outbreaks of the virus.
And passengers arriving in England from China must provide a negative test before boarding the flight.
In a statement issued after discussions with Chinese officials, the UN health agency said: “WHO has once again called for the regular sharing of specific and real-time data on the epidemic situation. There is… and data on vaccination and vaccination status, especially for vulnerable people and those over 60 years old.”
The agency said it stands ready to provide assistance in these areas, as well as to help address the issue of vaccine hesitancy.
It also stressed “the importance of monitoring, and timely publication of data, to help China and the international community inform accurate risk assessment and effective response”.
WHO’s technical advisory group on the evolution of Covid-19 is scheduled to hold a meeting on Tuesday. The agency says it has invited Chinese scientists to submit detailed data on viral sequencing.
It says it is “understandable” that some countries are imposing new restrictions on people traveling from China.
China’s sudden lifting of many restrictions follows November protests against the government’s handling of the disease.
Until then, China had the strictest anti-Covid regime in the world – known as the zero-Covid policy.
This included strict lockdowns even if only a handful of cases were found, mass testing in places where cases were reported, and requiring people with Covid to remain in quarantine at home or in government facilities.
Lockdowns have now been lifted, and quarantine laws have been lifted. People are now free to travel abroad again.
Cases have been on the rise since then, with the Chinese government reporting about 5,000 a day. But analysts say that number is very low – and the daily caseload could be closer to a million.
Officially there have been only 13 Covid deaths during December, but UK-based health data firm Airfinity said on Thursday that as many as 9,000 people in China are likely dying from the disease every day.
