Wuhan, China:
A group of investigators led by the World Health Organization visited a virus investigation laboratory in China’s central city of Wuhan and met with a prominent virologist there in its search for clues to the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The authorities spent about 3-1/2 hours at the heavily-guarded Wuhan Institute of Virology, which has been at the centre of some conspiracy theories that claim a laboratory leak triggered the city’s 1st coronavirus outbreak at the finish of 2019.
“Extremely important meeting today with staff at WIV including Dr Shi Zhengli. Frank, open discussion. Key questions asked & answered,” group member Peter Daszak stated on Twitter.
Shi, a properly-recognized virus hunter who has lengthy focused on bat coronaviruses – earning her the nickname “Bat Woman” – was amongst the 1st final year to isolate the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
Most scientists, such as Shi, reject the hypothesis of a lab leak. However, some authorities speculate that a virus captured from the wild could have figured in lab experiments to test the dangers of a human spillover and then escaped through an infected employees member.
“Very interesting. Many questions,” Thea Fischer, a Danish member of the group, known as from her car or truck as it sped away from the lab following Wednesday’s pay a visit to, in response to a query whether or not the group had identified something.
Some scientists have known as for China to release specifics of all coronavirus samples studied at the lab, to see which most closely resembles SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the respiratory illness.
The WHO, which has sought to handle expectations for the Wuhan mission, has stated its members would be restricted to visits organised by their Chinese hosts and have no get in touch with with neighborhood members, mainly because of wellness restrictions.
While the novel coronavirus that sparked the pandemic was 1st identified in Wuhan, Beijing has sought to cast doubt on the notion that it originated in China, pointing to imported frozen meals as a doable conduit.
The group will invest two weeks conducting field work following possessing completed two weeks in hotel quarantine following arrival in Wuhan.
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