Disinformation about the pandemic spread is costing lives and hampering the fight against the disease, MPs warned today.
The Commons Foreign Affairs Committee said that as the country where the outbreak started, China should have played a central role in collecting data on its spread.
MPs also accused Iran and Russia of spreading fake news about Covid-19.
Their main criticism, however, was reserved for China, highlighting the way Li Wenliang – the doctor in Wuhan who first raised the alarm about the new disease – was forced to confess to “making false comments” before his death from the virus in February.
“Such deliberate misleading of the WHO and scientists in other countries obscured analysis in the critical early stages of the pandemic,” the committee says.
(Image: China News Service via Getty Ima)
“Disinformation about Covid-19 has already cost lives.
“It is essential that the Government issues clear and transparent messages at home to confront and rebut disinformation spread by foreign powers.”
Instead, Beijing sought to “obfuscate” over what was really happening, the committee added.
Chairman Tom Tugendhat said: “Rather than helping countries prepare a swift response, they manipulated vital information about the virus in order to protect the regime’s image.
“The Government needs to tackle these lies with a clear response, working with allies to show a united front in the face of false facts.”
