China has agreed to let the World Health Organization send experts to the country to help with the growing coronavirus outbreak.
The move comes after a two-day visit by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who met with top Chinese officials, including President Xi Jinping, who has labeled the epidemic a “demon.”
“The two sides agreed that WHO will send international experts to visit China as soon as possible to work with Chinese counterparts on increasing understanding of the outbreak to guide global response efforts,” the WHO announced on Tuesday.
Tedros said that the meeting went well and praised China for taking the outbreak seriously.
“WHO is working closely with the government on measures to understand the virus and limit transmission,” Tedros said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “We appreciate the seriousness with which China is taking this outbreak.”
China has repeatedly declined overtures from experts outside the country to assist with the burgeoning crisis, including scientists from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Alex Azar, Health and Human Services secretary.
Azar said he was “delighted” by the news that China would begin allowing outside help and assumed scientists from the CDC would be included in the research and containment effort.
Azar said that Beijing had declined assistance from the United States on three different occasions, including an initial offer made on Jan. 6.
“We are urging China: More cooperation and transparency are the most important steps you can take toward a more effective response,” the secretary said.
China announced on Tuesday that 106 people have died from the virus, which has infected more than 4,500 people worldwide. There was a 60% increase in infections from Monday to Tuesday, further fostering fears of a pandemic.
Sen. Tom Cotton, on Tuesday, called the Trump administration to issue a “targeted travel ban” to contain the spread of the virus. The Arkansas Republican said that the U.S. should stop all flights to China and monitor returning residents.
Also Tuesday, doctors in Germany, Japan, and Vietnam confirmed that the virus has been spreading to patients who never traveled to Wuhan, China, the location where the sickness originated. In Wuhan, construction workers labored around the clock to build a brand new 1,000-bed hospital in just two days to handle coronavirus cases.
The U.S. has reported five cases of the illness, but dozens more suspected cases have been or are being investigated by officials in the country.
