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Experts in World Health Organization met Chinese officials on Friday ahead of their first on-site visits to Wuhan for an investigation into the origins of the coronavirus which will focus on a food market believed to be the pandemic’s “zero point”.
Fieldwork was due to begin in earnest in the afternoon, after being hampered by delays – and amid fears about access and the strength of the evidence a year after the virus first emerged.
The team will visit hospitals and meet with scientists, first responders and some of the first patients affected by the then-unknown coronavirus that has killed more than two million people around the world and stagnated the global economy.
Importantly, “the field visits will include Wuhan Institute of Virology, Huanan Market, Wuhan CDC LaboratoryThe WHO said in a tweet Thursday evening – three sites now indelibly linked to the virus.
World Health Organization (WHO)
(@WHO)The international team strives to understand the origins of # COVID19 virus has completed its 2-week quarantine in Wuhan, #China Thursday. As members begin their field trips on Friday, they should be given the support, access and data they need.
The Huanan market, which remains closed, was reportedly the first major group in the epidemic.
Meanwhile, the Wuhan Institute of Virology is home to a virus testing facility that has been militarized by former US President Donald Trump, which until his last days in power pushed the unfounded theory that the virus escaped from there.
The exact route of the mission remains unclear – tweets from WHO and their experts have so far been the main source of information.
The highly politicized mission was beset by delays with China denying access until mid-January, while Washington demanded a “solid and clear” investigation.
China Thursday warned the WE against “political interference” on a trip that the WHO says will be closely linked to the science behind how the virus jumped to humans.
Beijing is desperate to pull the blame out of the game and bring attention to its handling and recovery from the outbreak.
In a tweet Thursday night, WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he had a “frank discussion” with Chinese Minister of Health Ma Xiaowei.
“I asked that international scientists get the necessary support, access and data, and the ability to fully engage with their Chinese counterparts,” he said.
Experts left a two-week quarantine on Thursday for the global media to watch.
National Health Commission of China says 4,636 people have died in the country from the virus.
The country’s GDP grew by 2.3% in 2020, the only major economy to do so.
By comparison, more than 400,000 Americans have died as the disease tears its population and economy apart, while the UK recorded its 100,000th death this week.
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