The White House called on China to make available data from the earliest days of the Covid-19 outbreak, saying it has “deep concerns” about the way the findings of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) report were communicated.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement that it is imperative that the report be independent and free from “alteration by the Chinese government”, echoing concerns raised by the administration of former president Donald Trump, who also moved to quit the WHO over the issue.

Sullivan noted that US President Joe Biden had quickly reversed the decision to disengage from the WHO, but said it was imperative to protect the organisation's credibility.

“Re-engaging the WHO also means holding it to the highest standards,” Sullivan said. “We have deep concerns about the way in which the early findings of the Covid-19 investigation were communicated and questions about the process used to reach them.”