China has been accused of covering up information, silencing doctors and failing to warn the public in the early days of the coronavirus outbreak.

Questions have also been raised about whether the spread of the disease could have been halted more effectively if the authorities had been more open.

The head of the World Health Organization in China, Dr Gauden Galea, was asked by the BBC's John Sudworth if the lack of transparency put global health at greater risk.

Read more: Italy death toll soars amid travel ban