Before WHO meet, China plays down severity of Covid wave

Patients on stretchers at Tongren hospital in Shanghai on Tuesday. Pic/AFP

State media in China played down the severity of a surge of Covid-19 infections ahead of an expected briefing on Tuesday by its scientists to the World Health Organization, which is hoping for detailed data on the evolution of the virus. China's abrupt U-turn on Covid controls on Dec. 7, as well as the accuracy of its case and mortality data, have come under increasing scrutiny at home and abroad.

China's foreign ministry labelled travel entry curbs imposed by some countries as "simply unreasonable", saying they "lacked scientific basis". "We are willing to improve communication with the world," foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters in Beijing.

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"But...we are firmly opposed to attempts to manipulate the epidemic prevention and control measures for political purposes, and will take corresponding measures in different situations according to the principle of reciprocity." As the virus spreads unchecked, funeral parlours have reported a spike in demand for their services and international health experts predict at least one million deaths in China this year.

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