China Delayed Releasing Crucial Coronavirus Information

Throughout January, The World Health Organisation (WHO) kept praising China for its so-called speedy response and thanked China for sharing the genome of the COVID-19 Virus. However, The fact is that Chinese officials delayed the release of the genome for over a week after multiple Chinese labs decoded the genome. The Chinese government released the genome only after a Chinese lab published it on their website. This delayed the development of drugs, tests, and vaccines.
According to a leaked recording of multiple internal meetings held by the WHO in January, Chinese authorities delayed the release of much-needed information required to estimate the severity of the epidemic. In one meeting, Dr. Gauden Galea, WHO’s top official in China, said that WHO is receiving information 15 minutes before it is being broadcasted on China Central Television. This strengthens President Donald Trump’s claim that China has hidden information and is responsible for the spread of the disease.
I feel that it is true that China is partially responsible for the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and must take responsibility for the same. However, China cannot be blamed entirely for the pandemic. Governments are also responsible for the spread of the disease in their respective countries. President Donald Trump cannot blame China entirely for the spread of the disease in his country. He must also acknowledge his own administration’s failure in controlling the outbreak and failing to test rapidly in the initial stages.