China plans random, spot checks at hospitals to track COVID

China Health

30/03/2023 06:40

March 30 (Reuters) - Chinese officials plan random and
spot checks at medical facilities in the country to track
incomplete and under-reported COVID-19 data, the country's
health authority said, amid a wider call by global authorities
for more transparency.
    For months, the country has faced pressure from countries
and health experts to reveal and be more forthcoming with COVID
data, most notably official numbers around severe
hospitalisations and deaths.
    Recently, advisers to the World Health Organization urged
China to release all information related to the origin of the
COVID pandemic.
    In new measures announced by the National Health Commission,
provincial governments will be tasked with daily random
supervision and inspections covering an array of areas that
include vaccination management at medical and health
institutions, including checking the receipt and storage of new
coronavirus vaccines.
    In addition, the governments have been asked to monitor
whether virus infection reports have been concealed, delayed, or
misreported; and step up the management of medical waste and
biosecurity management of pathogenic microbiology laboratories.
    Local governments should actively seek financial support to
ensure funding for the costs surrounding the random checks, the
health authority said. 

 (Reporting by Ethan Wang and Bernard Orr; Editing by Raju
Gopalakrishnan)
 ((bernard.orr@thomsonreuters.com))