Claim Omicron is from Canada ‘ludicrous’

Chinese state-controlled news outlet blames letter or parcel from country for variant

A claim by Chinese health authorities that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 was introduced to a resident of Beijing through a piece of regular mail from Canada was dismissed Monday as being ludicrous and comical.

A Chinese state-controlled news outlet first reported that the Jan. 7 infection of a Beijing resident was the result of receiving a letter or parcel from Canada that passed through Hong Kong.

The Chinese report attributed that scenario to the deputy director of the Beijing Centre for Disease Control in a briefing, even though organizations such as the World Health Organization and Canada Post say the risk of contracting coronavirus from a piece of mail is low.

Margaret McCuaig-Johnston, a China expert at the University of Ottawa who spent more than three decades in the federal public service working on China issues, said Chinese officials need to familiarize themselves with the latest scientific material on the spread of COVID-19.

“Unlike the early days, scientists have clarified that it does not stay on surfaces. To suggest that it would be on mail that came over days from Canada is ludicrous,” she said.

Canada Post says that the World Health Organization and the Public Health Agency of Canada have said the risks associated with handling mail, including international mail, is low.

McCuaig-Johnston said the allegation shows that China’s leadership is still angry at Canada after its long-running dispute over the arrest of executive Meng Wanzhou in 2018, an extradition case that was dropped last year, which allowed her to return to China.

Meng was arrested in Vancouver in December 2018 on an American extradition warrant for allegedly violating U.S. sanctions on Iran. Nine days later, China arrested two Canadian men, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, and accused them of being spies — allegations Canada and dozens of Western allies dismissed as baseless retaliation.

The matter plunged Canada-China relations to an all-time low. The U.S. dropped its extradition case against Meng in September.

McCuaig-Johnston said Chinese officials need to familiarize themselves with the latest scientific material on the spread of COVID-19