Photo taken on March 16, 2020 shows the White House Visitor Center in Washington

D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

Five questions Washington needs to answer:
- Where did the virus in U.S. originate?
- Did U.S. fail to notice virus transmission at an early stage?
- Was the U.S. slow in early response to the pandemic?
- Did U.S. response lead to wider spread worldwide?
- What is the intention behind buck-passing?
BEIJING, May 4 (Xinhua) -- The United States has confirmed
over 1 million COVID-19 cases in just some 100 days after
it reported the first case on Jan. 21, making itself the
new epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic worldwide.
Facing criticism at home, some U.S. politicians have been
irresponsibly attacking a certain country and the World
Health Organization (WHO), hampering global efforts
against the pandemic.
Their actions have drawn questions from around the world,
and Washington should provide clear answers.
A healthcare worker takes a sample at a New York State Department of Health
COVID-19 antibody testing center at Steve's 9th Street Market in Brooklyn, New
York, the United States, April 25, 2020. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua)
WHERE DID THE VIRUS IN U.S. ORIGINATE?
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
has restored the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of
Infectious Diseases, a military center for biological
research in Maryland State, to full operation, local media
reported in late March.
The institution was ordered by the CDC to halt research
involving biological select agents or toxins last summer.
An online petition was later submitted on the White House
petition site demanding the U.S. government clarify the
shutdown of the institution.
The public is waiting for Washington to provide a clear
explanation to the sudden halt and resumption of the
research.
According to a report by the CDC in late February, there
have been at least 32 million flu illnesses in the country
in the 2019-2020 flu season.
On March 11, CDC Director Robert Redfield told a hearing
on Capitol Hill that some COVID-19 deaths have been
diagnosed as flu-related in the United States.
Washington needs to clarify the number of COVID-19 cases
previously diagnosed as the flu, and make public the
samples and genetic sequence of the influenza virus in the
country.
Photo taken on May 1, 2020 shows a lion statue with a mask in front of the Art
Institute of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, the United States. (Photo by Joel
Lerner/Xinhua)
DID U.S. FAIL TO NOTICE VIRUS TRANSMISSION AT AN EARLY
STAGE?
In late April, health authorities of Santa Clara County in
California State confirmed that two patients had died of
COVID-19 at least three weeks before the first known U.S.
death from the virus on Feb. 29.
Jeffrey V. Smith, Santa Clara county executive, told
Xinhua that the patients "apparently contracted the
illness from community spread. This suggests that the
virus was circulating in the Bay Area in January at least,
probably earlier."
Neeraj Sood, a professor at the Price School of Public
Policy at the University of Southern California, was
quoted by the Los Angeles Times as saying that the virus
has been in the community for a long time.
"When you start seeing the first death, actually, the
number of cases in the population is probably pretty high
already," Sood said.
Washington needs to answer if it failed to notice
community spread of the virus.