In Geneva, a WHO spokesperson confirmed during a scheduled press conference that Chinese scientists had been invited to a meeting of the Technical Advisory Group on COVID-19 (LABEL).
A 30-person expert group was established in June 2020 to advise the United Nations health agency and member states on coronavirus mutations and variants. The group’s last meeting was in October.
in an earlier statement, WHO said that Chinese scientists had been invited to present detailed data on virus sequences to an expert meeting in WHO headquarters in Geneva.
There’s nothing left to risk
This development follows a “high-level” meeting last Friday between WHO and Chinese health officials, who were asked to share more information about China’s COVID-19 strategy.
“Senior officials from the National Health Commission of China and the National Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention informed WHO about China’s evolving strategy and actions in the areas of epidemics. epidemiology, surveillance of variants, immunization, clinical care, communication and R&D,” explains WHO.
Share the call
The UN agency specifically called on the Chinese authorities to strengthen virus sequencing, clinical management and impact assessment of the COVID surge.
“WHO again requires regular sharing of specific and real-time data on the epidemiological situation,” it notes, “includes more genomic sequencing data, disease impact data including hospitalizations, hospitalizations, and intensive care unit (ICU) deaths — and data on immunizations provided and immunization status, especially in vulnerable people and people over 60 years old.”
The value of boosters
In addition to providing UN health agency support in these areas, the WHO statement reiterates the importance of vaccination and booster shots “to protect against serious illness and death for those at higher risk”.
The organization also offered to help combat vaccine hesitancy in China, where there have been reports of a departure from the longstanding “no COVID” policy.
Tedros stresses ‘importance of transparency’
In a tweet Last Friday evening, the Director-General of the UN agency, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesussays his team has “once again emphasized the importance of transparency and regularly share data to build accurate risk assessments and deliver effective responses.”
In addition to providing support from the United Nations health agency in these areas, WHO also offered to help combat vaccine hesitancy in China, where there have been reports of official abandonment. book “no COVID” long ago.
