China rejects US study suggesting Beijing kept Covid-19 hidden

China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman decries a shaky Boston University and Harvard study suggesting that Beijing waited a couple of months before revealing that it had come to host the new coronavirus as an attempt at “disinformation.”

Addressing a regular briefing on Thursday, Hua Chunying said the so-called research was "full of holes" and "crudely manufactured."

She called it evidence of coordinated efforts in the US to "deliberately create and disseminate disinformation against China."

"Some US politicians and media acted like they found buried treasure and wantonly spread [the study], treating it like new proof that China concealed the epidemic," the official said.

The first cases of the virus that can lead to a potentially deadly respiratory infection called COVID-19 were spotted by doctors in the central city of Wuhan in December. They shared the genome sequence with the World Health Organization in early January.

Imperial College London, in collaboration with the WHO, has also traced the virus family tree, estimating that it appeared in China around December 5.

The study, however, alleged that the virus could have emerged in China in August that year, when, it claimed, parking lots at Wuhan’s hospitals started taking in more cars.

The research, though, has not been peer-reviewed, and the authors said they could not definitively confirm that the data they documented was linked to the virus.

The US and some of its allies, including Australia, have been calling for an investigation into the COVID-19 origins, with President Donald Trump repeatedly pushing the conspiracy theory that the virus originated at a Chinese laboratory.

On Wednesday, Trump tweeted a Fox News video segment about the Harvard study without any additional comment.

More than 7.5 million have so far been infected with the virus and above 420,000 others have died from it so far across the world.

Wuhan lab director says virus leak claims ‘pure fabrication’

The Wuhan Institute of Virology has dismissed US claims that the coronavirus may have leaked from there.

On Wednesday, Trump tweeted a Fox News video segment about the Harvard study without any additional comment.

More than 7.5 million have so far been infected with the virus and above 420,000 others have died from it so far across the world.

Russia unveils drug

Also on Thursday, Russia rolled out a drug approved to treat patients suffering from the novel coronavirus, its state financial backer said, as the number of infections there surpassed half a million.

The first deliveries of the new antiviral drug, registered under the name Avifavir, were made to some hospitals and clinics across the country, Russia's RDIF sovereign wealth fund said in a press release. RDIF has a 50% share in a joint venture with the drug's manufacturer ChemRar that runs the trials.

The Health Ministry gave its approval for the drug's use under a special accelerated process while clinical trials, held over a shorter period and with fewer people than many other countries, were still underway.

There is currently no vaccine for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, and human trials of several existing antiviral drugs have yet to show efficacy.

RDIF chief Kirill Dmitriev last week told Reuters the plan was for ChemRar to manufacture enough of the drug to treat around 60,000 people a month.

Dmitriev on Thursday said more than 10 countries had made requests for Avifavir supplies.

Negotiations were underway to supply the drug to almost all of Russia's regions, with seven of its more than 80 regions receiving Thursday's initial deliveries, Dmitriev added.

With 502,436 cases, Russia has the third highest number of infections in the world after Brazil and the United States, but has a relatively low official death toll of 6,532 -- something that has been the focus of debate.

The Moscow Health Department on Wednesday raised its death toll for the month of May, citing changes in the way it determines the cause of death for patients suffering from other health problems.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday denied there was anything untoward with Russia's official coronavirus death data after the World Health Organization said this week that Russia's low death rate was "difficult to understand."

EU to open inland borders

Brussels, meanwhile, set out plans to fully reopen the EU's internal borders on June 15 and to allow travelers from Balkan countries to enter the bloc from July 1.

The recommendation to the 27 EU member states comes as restrictions imposed to slow the spread of coronavirus are eased and national governments seek to restart tourism in time for the peak summer season.

Europe accounts for just under half of the 415,000 lives claimed by COVID-19 and now the continent is trying to contain the economic fallout, fearing devastation for its crucial tourism industry.

The European Commission, the bloc's executive which is trying to coordinate the moves, said it was too early to completely abandon restrictions on travelers coming from outside the EU.

Instead it called for a "common coordinated approach," lifting the ban on non-essential travel for countries where the pandemic is at a similar level to the EU and adequate disease control measures are in place.

The commission said restrictions should be lifted from July 1 for Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia because "their epidemiological situation is similar or better than that of the EU."

"International travel is key for tourism and business, and for family and friends reconnecting," European home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson said.

"While we will all have to remain careful, the time has come to make concrete preparations for lifting restrictions with countries whose health situation is similar to the EU's."

Johansson had warned last week that not all countries agreed on the criteria for reopening borders to travelers from the rest of the world.

Tourism-dependent countries such as Greece have been pushing for a swift reopening, with Athens already announcing it will welcome travelers from a list of countries, including Australia, China and South Korea from June 15.

Europe reports steep fall in asylum applications

The number of asylum applications in Europe plunged 87 percent in April, to the lowest level since 2008, due to lockdown measures imposed to fight the coronavirus, the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) said.

"Only 8,730 asylum applications were registered... a record low in at least the past 12 years, and a massive decrease from pre-COVID-19 levels in January and February," it said in a statement, reporting on an area covering the European Union plus Norway and Switzerland.

Malaysia cancels Hajj travels

Malaysia on Thursday pulled out of the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca over coronavirus fears days after neighboring Indonesia, the world's biggest Muslim-majority nation, also withdrew.

Millions travel from around the world to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia every year to perform the Hajj.

The virus pandemic has thrown the end-of-July celebration into doubt, although Riyadh is yet to announce a decision on whether it will proceed.

Religious Affairs Minister Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri said it was not safe for the 31,600 pilgrims from Malaysia, who had been due to go this year to take part due to the virus.

"This was a heavy decision to make," he said, adding that those affected would be able to go on the Hajj next year instead.

In Malaysia, a country of 32 million where about 60 percent are Muslims, the devout typically wait for years for the opportunity to perform the pilgrimage.

Jakarta's decision last week to withdraw removed the largest contingent of pilgrims -- more than 220,000 Indonesians had been due to take part.

Malaysia's virus outbreak has been relatively mild, with authorities reporting more than 8,000 cases and 118 deaths.

In contrast, Saudi Arabia has seen over 112,000 infections and 819 deaths, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally.

It has already suspended the year-round Umrah pilgrimage to the holy cities.

(Source: Agencies)

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