DAR ES SALAAM - A Tanzanian columnist has called for depoliticizing COVID-19, saying politics should not in any way influence scientific inquiry into the origins of the novel coronavirus.

As the world struggles to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the blame game linking the virus to China has resurfaced, Sweba Unuki, a social affairs analyst in Dar es Salaam, said in a recent article published by The Citizen newspaper.

The World Health Organization and China have been waging a war to fight the virus and help economies return to normal, he said.

Framing the virus as a lab creation originating from China impedes global efforts toward ending the suffering, the columnist said.

The columnist hailed China's contribution in fighting the pandemic globally, saying China has helped many resource-constrained countries in Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe fight the pandemic by supplying medical expertise, necessities and equipment.

Comparatively, the West has done far less in fighting the pandemic than China, he added.