WHO Scientists Have Arrived In China To Look Into The Origins Of The Pandemic

A new team of WHO scientists landed in the Chinese city of Wuhan and started the mandatory search for the possible origin of the Covid-19 pandemic. After several months of getting a round of agreements between WHO and Beijing, they can expect cooperation from the government for the investigation.

The team has 10 scientists who will begin the investigation by interviewing people from research institutes, hospitals, and the seafood market which may have a direct connection to the initial outbreak.

The covid-19 strain was first found in Wuhan in late 2019.

The team gets down to find the origin of the virus as a couple of new cases are reported in northern China. So far, people in Wuhan have picked up the pace of normal life.

They are currently abided by the protocol to remain in quarantine for two weeks before they break a leg with their research. The scientists are pinning their hope on Chinese officials for providing them adequate evidence and samples.

The team is more focused to look into the animal origin of the pandemic.

Chinese officials were reluctant at first to negotiate with the WHO team. Earlier this month, WHO told the press that the government denied any sort of cooperation linked to the investigation of the origin of the flu. One of the scientists was not allowed to enter China to carry on the investigation and another one was stuck in transit.

Beijing, later on, put a clarification that it was confusion and arrangements are being made to proceed with the investigation.

The team of ten virologists will stay in China for a month to research and run tests to know where the virus was first detected in 2019.

Chinese scientists have claimed that the virus spread from animals to humans and then it contaminated half of the population of China. The first case of Covid-19 was found at the Huanan wet market in Wuhan.

The team of WHO scientists arrived in China after scientists from the UK, US, Australia, Germany, Japan, Russia, the Netherlands, Qatar, and Vietnam – were denied to enter the country earlier this month.

Some of the researchers were almost on their way to China, leaving their homes and other projects. But they had to go back because they didn’t get the permit to conduct an investigation about the origin of the pandemic.

WHO has been trying to come to a negotiation with China since July but they did not successfully get permission to enter on January 6.

Director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “Today, we learned that Chinese officials have not yet finalized the necessary permissions for the team’s arrival in China.”

He added, “I’m very disappointed with this news, given that two members had already begun their journeys and others were not able to travel at the last minute, but had been in contact with senior Chinese officials.”