The German Federal Intelligence Service has discovered that China asked the World Health Organisation to cover up the COVID-19 outbreak.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to objectively verify this claim, since it is an allegation made by the German Intelligence against the WHO.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to objectively verify this claim, since it is an allegation made by the German Intelligence against the WHO.News reports said that the World Health Organisation(WHO) has dismissed the allegations of a media report published by Der Spiegel that it withheld information about the COVID-19 outbreak following pressure from China.

Der Spiegel, the German Magazine claimed that the German Federal Intelligence Service has discovered about a telephonic conversation between the WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Chinese President Xi Jinping on 21 January. Der Spiegel reported that Xi asked Tedros during the call to hold back information about the human-to-human transmission of the virus and delay declaring a pandemic.

The magazine quoted Germany’s federal intelligence service, known as the Bundesnachrichtendienst(BND), which declined to comment.

The WHO in a statement denied the allegations made by the German magazine as baseless and incorrect, because Dr Tedros and President Xi did not speak on 21 January and they have never spoken by telephone. The WHO also said that such inaccurate reports distract and detract from WHO's and the world's efforts to end the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the veracity of the claim cannot be determined as there is no concrete evidence available to prove that the WHO indeed concealed critical information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic at the behest of China.

The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.