Daines wants China’s coronavirus response investigated

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) urged the U.S. State Department to work with America’s allies to fully investigate China’s response to the emergence of the virus causing COVID-19 and to hold the country accountable for any culpability.

“The American people deserve to have the information to truly understand why they are making the sacrifices that they are,” Sen. Daines wrote in an April 3 letter sent to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. “Additionally, we must discover the truth about the origins of this disease in order to better prepare ourselves against another future pandemic.”

According to the congressman’s letter, China’s initial response to reports of an atypical pneumonia being detected by medical personnel in Hubei province in late 2019 “were ham-fisted with government officials hiding cases, punishing doctors who dared to speak-up, and resulted in delays that worsened the impact of COVID-19 on public health and the economies of countries around the world.”

And prior to China locking down Wuhan and Hubei provinces on Jan. 23, Sen. Daines wrote that there were early indications that a SARS-type virus had jumped from an animal host and had started infecting humans.

“What is more alarming was that despite official denials, indications of human-to-human transmission were clearly evident by early January,” the lawmaker wrote. “The suppression of this critical piece of information alone significantly delayed any early international response.”

Sen. Daines urged Secretary Pompeo to lead efforts with international partners to investigate China’s initial response and culpability related to the COVID-19 pandemic and to consider any appropriate punitive actions necessary to hold China accountable.