NEW DELHI: In a ceremony organized to honour the COVID19 warriors, Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed China’s success in battling the deadly pandemic, saying that China has passed an extraordinary and historic test with its handling of the coronavirus.

He further said that “We quickly achieved initial success in the people’s war against the coronavirus. We are leading the world in economic recovery and in the fight against COVID19.”

He also expressed his support for the World Health Organization in the fight against the pandemic. He also awarded gold medals to four heroes from the medical field in the ceremony.

The coronavirus was first detected in the central city of Wuhan late last year, and the US and others have alleged the outbreak spread out of control because China withheld information about it. China says it acted swiftly and responsibly but has rejected calls for an independent investigation into its handling of the emergency.

Since then, China has recorded nearly 85,000 COVID19 infections and more than 4,630 deaths. Wuhan, the world’s first epicentre of the pandemic in Hubei province, had officially lifted its lockdown on April 8.