WHO-led team in Wuhan probing COVID origins to begin field work

[webfact]

WHO-led team in Wuhan probing COVID origins to begin field work

By Gabriel Crossley

 

Chinese officials arrive at a hotel where members of the World Health Organization (WHO) team tasked with investigating the origins of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) stay, in Wuhan, Hubei province, China January 29, 2021. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

 

BEIJING (Reuters) - A World Health Organization-led team of experts investigating the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic was due to meet with Chinese scientists on Friday, and plans to visit labs, markets and hospitals in Wuhan, the WHO said.

 

On Thursday, the team completed two weeks of quarantine following its arrival in China, moving to a lakeside hotel in the central Chinese city where the deadly virus emerged in late 2019.

 

The group is expected to spend two more weeks in China, and will visit the seafood market at the centre of the early outbreak. It will also visit the Wuhan Institute of Virology. One hypothesis, rejected by China, is that the outbreak was caused by a leak at the government lab.

 

The mission has been plagued by delays, concern over access and bickering between China and the United States, which has accused China of hiding the extent of the initial outbreak and criticised the terms of the visit, under which Chinese experts conducted the first phase of research.

 

"It is important to remember that the success of this mission and origin-tracing is 100% depending on access to the relevant sources," Thea Fischer, a Danish member of the team, told Reuters on Thursday.

 

"No matter how competent we are, how hard we work and how many stones we try to turn, this can only be possible with the support from China," she said.

 

The origin of COVID-19 has been highly politicised.

 

The investigating team had been set to arrive in Wuhan earlier in January, and China's delay of their visit drew rare public criticism from the head of the WHO, which former U.S. President Donald Trump accused of being "China-centric".

 

China has pushed the idea that the virus existed abroad before it was discovered in Wuhan, with state media citing the presence of the virus on imported frozen food packaging and scientific papers saying it had been circulating in Europe in 2019.

 

China's foreign ministry has also hinted that the sudden closure of a U.S. army laboratory at Fort Detrick in Maryland in July 2019 was linked to the pandemic.

 

"At the early stage in China, it was a burden particularly for Wuhan people when everyone was calling it a Wuhan virus, which was humiliating," said Yang You, a 30-year-old Wuhan resident. "If it could be traced to the source clearly, in my opinion, it could clear either China's or Wuhan's name."

 

(Reporting by Gabriel Crossley and Martin Quin Pollard; Writing by Tony Munroe; Editing by Michael Perry)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-01-29

 

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[ExpatOK]

OK, but we already know the origins of the virus.

Edited January 29, 2021 by ExpatOK

[Bkk Brian]

19 minutes ago, webfact said:

"It is important to remember that the success of this mission and origin-tracing is 100% depending on access to the relevant sources," Thea Fischer, a Danish member of the team, told Reuters on Thursday.

 

"No matter how competent we are, how hard we work and how many stones we try to turn, this can only be possible with the support from China," she said.

There is the problem as we all know. Already this is an admission they are at the hands of the masters

[CharlieH]

Unsupported conspiracy style post reported and removed.

[Tropicalevo]

What a sad waste of time and money.

Any evidence will have been destroyed and people silenced.

[Jeffr2]

4 hours ago, ExpatOK said:

OK, but we already know the origins of the virus.

No we don't.  Nothing has been proven so far. 

[Geoffggi]

China would not let the WHO in unless they had hidden or got rid of any incriminating evidence ........... 

[rupert the bear]

37 minutes ago, Geoffggi said:

China would not let the WHO in unless they had hidden or got rid of any incriminating evidence ........... 

very true and theyve also got rid of any incriminating people, websites ,footage, journalists and dead bodies,this is a joke a waste of time.

[Jeffr2]

1 hour ago, Geoffggi said:

China would not let the WHO in unless they had hidden or got rid of any incriminating evidence ........... 

The WHO team will be lead around by the nose, only allowed to go where the Chinese government approves, etc.

 

Incriminating evidence?  Like, wild animals in cages in a market?  LOL

[ronaldo0]

Mmm I love the smell of bleach in the morning !! ????????????????

[Credo]

A word of advice when at the wet market, if you are having the bat soup, please ask for it to be cooked well done.   Rare seems to be a bit problematic.

[Scott]

Troll post removed

 

[candide]

This is completly useless as the only relevant information is genetic, and it's available WW in online databases.

What were people hoping for? Sherlock Home style investigation?

"Do you see Watson? It's a bat's hair!" ????

[grumpy 4680]

         Unless the WHO can prove exactly what the Chinese scientists were playing at in Wuhan, we'll never get the truth from the CCP. But we already know, people and vital evidence has already been destroyed.

         And given the facts of what the CCP have been doing all round the world, only adds to the fact that the CCP are an evil bunch  of liars, cheats and criminals.