US president Joe Biden raised concerns about China’s handling of its Covid-19 outbreak after the World Health Organisation (WHO) said the Asian nation was under-reporting deaths from the disease.
“They’re very sensitive when we suggest they haven’t been that forthcoming,” Mr Biden told reporters while on a visit to Kentucky.
More than a dozen countries, including the US and the UK, have imposed restrictions on travellers from China amid a monumental rise in Covid cases.
Meanwhile, experts are warning that the UK is not prepared for another Covid wave, as the spread of “highly infectious” subvariant XBB.1.5 continues in the country.
University of Warwick virologist Professor Lawrence Young told The Independent that the UK is not at all prepared for another wave if the highly transmissible sub variant continues to spread rapidly.
People have been urged to wear masks and remain at home if feeling unwell as the new XBB.1.5 variant has led to concerns about the rise in disease cases.
The XBB.1.5 variant is thought to constitute at least 4 per cent of Covid virus variants being sequenced.
