Racial labeling of virus condemned

Leading academics in the United Kingdom have criticized US politicians for using the term "Chinese virus" when referring to the novel coronavirus outbreak, calling their comments "unhelpful" to the current situation.

"It's not at all helpful to label the virus as being from any one country," said Rana Mitter, director of the University of Oxford China Centre.

"It's important that the US and China both cooperate, along with other key actors such as the EU, to make sure that as much progress is made as quickly as possible on a vaccine for the virus. Right now, the world needs the US and China to be cooperating much more.