It’s unfair to blame China for coronavirus pandemic, Lancet editor tells state media
- Richard Horton tells state broadcaster CCTV the rest of the world should try to work with China rather than pointing the finger
- British medical journal’s editor-in-chief says ‘China is not responsible’ for the Covid-19 outbreak first identified in Wuhan
The editor-in-chief of The Lancet has said it is “not helpful” and “unfair” to blame China for being the source of the Covid-19 pandemic in an interview with Chinese state media.
Richard Horton said the international community should instead work with the Chinese authorities in dealing with the outbreak.
“China didn’t want this epidemic,” Horton said during Friday’s interview with state broadcaster CCTV when asked about the mounting pressure China has been under to take responsibility for being the origin of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19. “China isn’t responsible for this pandemic. It’s happened.”
China has faced criticism over a lack of transparency and its initial slow response to the outbreak, first reported in December in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, which has now infected over 3.2 million people and killed over 230,000.
Lawmakers in Germany and Australia have called for a probe into how the virus started, while Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for more transparency from China about the origin of the virus.