China urges U.S. to share XBB.1.5 data

BEIJING, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Monday said the United States should share domestic COVID-19 information and data in a timely, open and transparent manner, considering the rapid spread of the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5.

Wang made the remarks at a regular press briefing when asked if the United States has shared relevant information and data with China.

According to the open-source COVID-19 data from the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data, almost all COVID-19 variants and their branches were prevalent in the United States within three years of the initial outbreak, Wang said, noting that the United States is one of the countries with the highest numbers of COVID-19 variants.

Wang said that XBB.1.5 has become the fastest-growing variant in the United States and is estimated to account for more than 40 percent of COVID-19 cases in the country.

"The U.S. side should share domestic COVID-19 information and data with the World Health Organization and the international community in a timely, open and transparent manner, and take effective measures to prevent the further spread of the virus," Wang said.