BEIJING — China has wasted no time since the coronavirus outbreak in informing the World Health Organization (WHO) of the epidemic situation, sharing the genome sequence of the virus and other information with the world, and advancing international cooperation, said a health expert.

China informed the WHO of the pneumonia of unknown cause on Jan 3 and has kept the WHO and relevant countries informed of China's progress in epidemic control and research, Wu Zunyou, an epidemiology expert at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a press conference on April 27. 

Wu noted that on Jan 9, China identified the novel coronavirus as the cause of the epidemic and timely shared the information with the WHO and relevant countries on the same day.

On Jan 12, China shared the genome sequence of the virus with the WHO, and uploaded it to a global database for countries around the world to produce diagnostic reagents, Wu said.

He added that from Jan 20 to 21, a WHO delegation conducted a field visit to Wuhan.

"China's response to COVID-19 has been open, transparent, timely and responsible," Wu said, calling on all countries around the world to respect science and facts, as well as unite as one to fight against the virus.